magic, madness (heaven, sin)
by Tarafina
Summary: A collection of various Bonnie/Damon prompt fills. [31] "Please, come with me."
1. amazonia 1

**chapter** **rating**: pg-13  
**pairing**: gen (eventual bonnie/damon, caroline/stefan)  
**summary**: (au) in an effort to save elena from klaus and his hybrid obsession, stefan and damon track down the amazonia coven, an all female band of witches said to be the strongest in existence. there, they meet the leader, bonnie bennett, and ask for her assistance.

**[**_**amazonia**_**]**

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Stefan asked, his eyes darting to and fro, in search of what he wasn't quite sure. But entering a land he didn't know guaranteed a certain level of suspicion.

"You heard what Katherine said. You gotta fight power with power. If we want to get that curse off of Elena, we can't just hit up your average witch."

Stefan sighed, his lips pursed. "What makes you think this coven will _see _us, let alone help us?"

Damon offered a smirk. "Pay attention, little brother, I can be _very _charming when I want to be."

Rolling his eyes, he shook his head, his mouth parting to dispute or no doubt point out more flaws in Damon's plans, but, before he could, a sudden whistling noise cut through the air.

"Do you hear that?" Damon asked, his brow furrowed.

Stefan's hand abruptly hit Damon's chest, forcing him to a stop. Good thing too, as an arrow struck the ground in front of their feet.

"That was a warning," a cheerful voice rang out. "Don't make me repeat myself."

Stefan frowned, glancing at Damon briefly, before he called out, "We're not here for trouble… We only want to speak to someone. Please, we come in peace. We're just—"

"You're vampires."

The voice, the same voice, was suddenly coming from a different direction. Stefan and Damon both whirled around, searching the dark forest for any sign of who the voice belonged to.

"Your kind isn't welcome here."

From the left then, and high above, as if carrying down from the trees.

"Yeah?" Damon's eyes narrowed. "And just what _kind _are you?"

There was a rustling noise on their right, but she appeared from the front of the path. A hood was drawn up, her features shadowed, but she was small and lean, her hands on her hips as she stood before them. "Who wants to know?" she queried.

Damon and Stefan shared a look and then turned back to her. "Who's asking?" Damon blustered, raising his chin.

She chuckled, amused by him, and then reached up to tuck her hood back. Soft waves of blonde hair unfurled around her shoulders and bright blue eyes stared between them. Flushed cheeks and a sweet smile met them, the picture of beauty and innocence.

Stefan's eyes widened as he stared at her while Damon looked her over skeptically.

"Listen, Blondie, not that the cloak and dagger stuff isn't three shades of hot, but we have business. So maybe you could point us toward your queen or whatever…?"

Tipping her head, she gave him a considering look. Nodding, she stepped forward. Before they had time to block her, her hands suddenly thrust through their chests, fingers wrapping around their hearts and squeezing. "I am Caroline, warrior of the coven Amazonia, and I _really _don't like nicknames. Especially the kind that are at my expense. _So_, just a suggestion, maybe you should a little… more… _respect_…" With each of her last three words, Caroline squeezed their hearts.

Damon choked, squirming under her hold. He wrapped a hand around her wrist, but no matter how hard he gripped it, she didn't so much as flinch.

"You can keep trying, but you're only embarrassing yourself. I might be a human, but I'm nowhere _near _average."

Rasping out a breath, Stefan struggled to say, "Amazonian witches… legends say they're stronger… than any vampire or werewolf… in existence."

Caroline grinned at him. "Look at you, you did your homework. A-plus."

He nodded his head jerkily. "Please. We're not here to make trouble. My brother… he's hot-headed. But it's only because he's worried."

She looked between them curiously. "Worried enough to go looking for a coven bred to destroy you… Now _that _is worried." Releasing their hearts, she drew her hands back from their chests and wiped the blood off on their shirts, her lip curled in a sneer. "Fine. You have five minutes to tell me why I should put in a good word for you two. Starting with how you found us."

Rubbing a hand over his chest as he tried to catch his breath, Damon gave his head a shake and said, "Katherine Pierce told us where to find you."

Caroline's expression hardened, her teeth gnashing together. "_That _bitch?" She looked between them. "I told her we should've put her down as soon as she came knocking at our door." Chewing her lip, she said, "Katherine's a snake, so that's one strike against you. I'm still waiting on an explanation of what you _need_."

"Help. That's all. We just…" Stefan glanced at Damon and then back to Caroline. "We have a friend, she's been cursed. She… She's the doppelgänger."

Caroline's face went blank then; her chin raised and she looked away. "_Snake_," she muttered, before turning on her heel and stalking away.

"Wait," Stefan called. "Caroline, please, I know you don't know us, but our friend, Elena, she isn't like Katherine. She's _innocent_."

"Isn't that what witches stand for?" Damon added. "Innocence and balance and all of that jazz?"

Caroline reached behind her, taking her bow from her back.

Damon stiffened, watching her hands, and then he looked up at her. "Was that not respectful enough?"

"Idiot," she muttered under her breath, before plucking out an arrow.

She didn't turn to them, however; instead, she took an arrow by its shaft and tipped it up, the arrow head a few inches from her mouth. "_Incendia_." A fire burst forth at the tip, which she blew on gently. As it turned a bright violet color, she notched it to her bow and raised it up, sending it flying through the air, bursting across the sky. One burst became two and then three, and suddenly the pathway in front of them lit up, revealing a wrought iron gate and, further down, a tall, gothic, brick building, the windows lit with an orange glow.

"Well? Are you just going to stand there?" Caroline wondered, hip stuck out impatiently. She turned, placing her bow on her back, and started forward, walking toward the gates that opened with a wave of her hands.

While they shared a skeptical look, their options were limited, and so Damon and Stefan hesitantly followed Caroline through the gates. The path they walked was wide enough for a vehicle and reached to the hulking front doors of the building, both black with a golden knocker laying in wait. A sudden and unexpected crack of lightening lit the sky and piercing laughter followed.

"Oh, don't mind that. We have a few Valkyries staying with us," Caroline dismissed, waving her hand.

"Valkyries," Stefan repeated. "Like, _real _Valkyries?"

"As opposed to the fake kind?" She cocked an eyebrow back at him, half-smiling before she hopped up the stairs in front of her.

"Quit panting after Blondie. We have a job to do, remember?" Damon said, elbowing Stefan in the ribs.

Stefan glared at him. "I'm not panting. I'm curious. It's not every day we're allowed to walk into the home of a coven so old it predates everything we know about vampire history. We're lucky they didn't roast us."

"Speaking of… Why didn't they?" Damon wondered, casting his eyes around suspiciously.

"Well, it's not your spectacular ability to keep your voice down," Caroline said, throwing open the doors of the house and stepping inside. A wave of heat hit them, as if a roaring fire was warming the front foyer. A mixture of female voices could be heard on the floors above; young and old, some arguing, some flirting, some talking about the latest season of Big Brother, etcetera. It was all a little too average and boring for Damon's taste.

Before Caroline got too far inside the foyer, a tall, willowy woman intercepted her, hopping down off the winding steps leading upstairs. "Don't tell me, that was _you _with the light show? What'd you drag home _this _time? Like the stray dog last month didn't leave us with enough problems."

"Hey! I didn't know he had fleas, and he was a perfectly good dog. He just needed a good family," Caroline defended. "Anyway, it's none of your business, _Vicki_. And I wouldn't be pointing fingers about dogs considering you smell like a wet one. Didn't Bonnie tell you to stop playing fetch with werewolves?"

"Hayley hasn't turned," Vicki snapped. "She's free game."

"Does anybody else feel like they just walked into a wiccan sorority house?" Damon whispered out of the side of his mouth. "I volunteer to referee the naked pillow fight."

"Damon," Stefan sighed, exasperated.

"Whatever," Caroline said, pushing past the girl and walking further into the entrance hall. "Where's Bonnie anyway? Katherine left some undesirables on our doorstep."

"Rude," Damon muttered.

Stefan shook his head at him.

"She's in the library. Like she ever goes anywhere else," Vicki answered, crossing the hall and disappearing behind a swinging door that looked like it led into a kitchen.

Sighing, Caroline unhitched her bow and arrow from her back and moved to a closet to stick it inside. She kicked her shoes off too and then looked back at them expectantly.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Really?" At Caroline's crossed arms over her chest, he sighed and removed his shoes, lining them up by the door. Stefan followed suit. "There. Better?"

Caroline nodded and then started down the center hallway. "Follow me."

As she walked ahead of them, Damon took a look around. High arches and wooden beams made up the ceiling. Pictures of various women covered the walls, some dressed as warriors, with paint across their cheeks and bows in their hands, others simply as friends, their arms wrapped around each other as they smiled for the camera. Clearly, the coven was close, a band of sister that helped and relied on each other. As Caroline turned down a new hallway, leading to the dark stained door at the end, the pictures became portraits of individual women. The farther down the hall they went, the newer the portraits became. He checked the tiny name plate on the frames on the very last one curiously.

_Sheila Tituba Bennett  
"Nature needs balance. It is our duty to keep it."  
1970 – 2009_

He raised his eyes and looked at the woman who stared back at him, brown curls falling around her face and high, arching eyebrows that screamed 'no nonsense.' Damon imagined that if they'd come asking for help during her reign, she wouldn't have greeted them with open arms. Speaking of… he wondered how the new witch in charge was going to welcome them.

Caroline threw open the library doors and stepped inside, hips swaying and head swiveling. "_Bons_…" she called, "Katherine sent us trouble in the form of cute boys."

"That is her favorite _kind _of trouble," a voice answered.

Damon whistled as he considered the impressive library in front of him. Two storeys high, there were aisles of book stacks on the floor and shelves built into the walls. A winding staircase led to a second floor of bookshelves, while a few rolling ladders allowed for easier reaching. Perched near the top of one, a petite woman stood, returning a few books from her arms to their rightful place. Damon stared for a moment; dark hair spilled down her back and brown pants hugged distractingly long legs. Even from a distance, he could see she was small in stature, with round hips and narrow shoulders.

"Couldn't you just magick them back into place?" Damon wondered.

"We weren't given our abilities so we could become lazy," she answered.

"Good thing I'm not a witch then," he muttered.

"They do make for a good distraction, though." Her voice came much closer then, from right behind him, and Damon blinked as the visage of her on the ladder fizzled away into smoke. He turned to face her, just as tiny as he thought, but with the most stubborn chin he'd ever seen. She stared up at him like _he_ was the short one, and it brought a smirk to his mouth.

"I love that trick," Caroline said enthusiastically.

Damon took in the woman in front of him, who was now giving Caroline a fond smile. Bonnie had warm brown skin, earthy green eyes, and sinful lips. The power radiated off of her in low, simmering waves, not quite a threat, but definitely a warning. He did always have a thing for dangerous women, though.

"You said Katherine sent them?" Bonnie asked, arching an eyebrow before she looked back at the two men. "They do look like her type."

Damon held a hand to his chest in mock-offense. "Excuse you; that was a long time ago. I was a different man, a much more easily manipulated man."

Bonnie sniffed distastefully and circled around them. "Regardless, you're a vampire. I'm sure Caroline gave you the memo; your kind is not welcomed here."

"Yes, well, our _kind_, needs to talk to you. It's important." He turned his body to follow her, briefly distracted by the lingering scent of honey she left behind. Clearing his throat in an attempt to focus, he said, "You've heard about the doppelgänger, right? Your little blonde friend has, so I assume it's public knowledge around here."

"It's not public, but those who need to know _do_." She sent a side-long look toward Caroline, who returned her own grave expression. Taking in a deep breath, Bonnie looked back at the two brothers. "I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt here… Mostly since you risked your lives getting here. So what is it, _exactly_, that you need our help with?"

Damon looked at Stefan, who took a step forward. "We have a friend, her name is Elena Gilbert, and she's Katherine's exact double."

"The Petrova doppelgänger," Bonnie said, nodding. "And?"

"And she's in danger. Klaus, he's an original hybrid, and he wants to use Elena's blood to make more. Klaus is an original vampire, but he's also half werewolf. His mother, Ester, used Petrova blood to bind that side of him. He's broken his curse already, but now he wants to make others like him. If he uses Elena's blood, he can turn werewolves into hybrids; half wolf, half vampire. And he's looking to make an army of them."

"So you think if you take the curse out of her blood, she won't be useful and Claude or whatever will just leave?" Caroline piped up curiously. At their nods, she looked to Bonnie, "It makes sense, but…"

"But taking the curse out of her blood is too dangerous," Bonnie finished.

"Dangerous? For _who?_ Elena's getting turned into a pin cushion and Klaus is raising up an army that might just be able to take on your whole little witchy crew. Stronger than vampires _or _werewolves, right? What about their strength _combined?_"

Bonnie's jaw twitched as she clenched her teeth. "What you're asking me to do is to put my whole coven at risk for your friend. I'm sure she matters to you, and if I could, I would help. But my people have to come first. This coven, these girls, rely on me to make the right choices for them. The Petrova curse was placed on his blood by a very powerful witch."

"We know. That's why Katherine sent us here. She said it was one of _your_ ancestors," Stefan said leadingly.

"Ayana. She used the blood to bind Klaus, I know. Elijah Mikaelson has come to us for help in the past. He was told about the importance of doppelgänger blood centuries ago. And when Klaus began searching for a way to make more of his kind, he came asking questions."

"Elijah knew?" Stefan asked, his lips pursed.

"Elijah loves his brother, but he also knows what it would mean to unleash a whole army of people just like him."

"Then you know how important this is," Damon said, staring at her searchingly. "As long as Elena's in reach, Klaus can use her to make more hybrids."

"As long as Elena is _alive_, you mean." Bonnie quirked her head, looking between them. "Tell me, if you're so worried about the world, why not just turn her?"

After a glance at each other, they didn't reply.

Bonnie stepped toward them then, a sarcastic smile pulling at her lips. "See, the altruistic angle might work on some people, and I'm sure that's what you were hoping would work on me. You want me to be selfless, to sacrifice myself and my coven, so your little doppelgänger can live freely as a human."

"She doesn't want to turn, and we don't want to make her," Stefan admitted.

Bonnie hummed, circling around them thoughtfully. "The allure of the doppelgänger… It does have a certain potency, doesn't it?"

They watched her, brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"She naturally attracts people and danger, she always has, right back to the very roots of her: _Amara_."

She walked away from them then, taking a seat at a table stacked with books. Somehow, despite the very general look of the chair, Damon found himself thinking of it more like a throne. Maybe it was just Bonnie; she gave off a certain regal flair.

"So you won't help us then?" Stefan finally sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I didn't say that. I said I won't take the curse off her blood."

"Altruism is good and all, but we fight the good fight for balance, not to be martyrs," Caroline piped up, crossing to take a seat atop the table, her legs swinging beneath her. "Besides, we don't even know this girl and you want us to suck ourselves dry for her? Puh-_lease_. I worked my butt off, and I come from a long line of ass-kicking witches. Sacrifice is reserved for those who deserve it. And if she wanted it so bad, where is _she?_"

"She's safe. For now. We didn't want to risk moving her in case Klaus caught on." Stefan shook his head, looking between the two witches. "We don't want you to sacrifice yourselves, honestly. We just need help and we've run out of options. As far as we can tell, the only ones on the same level as the originals is this coven. So if it takes begging, we'll beg."

"I like the sound of that," Caroline mused, grinning. "Boys are always better on their knees."

"I'm not really the begging type. Although, I could definitely offer up some other form of payment," Damon suggested, smirking down at Bonnie.

She quirked an eyebrow at him and then turned her attention back to Stefan. "Like I said before, I know Elijah personally. If what you're saying is true, then Klaus is working his way up toward a war. He always was too power-hungry for his own good; New Orleans proved that. Elijah made peace with our coven a long time ago, and so far he's kept that peace. But he knows the rules; if he or any of his family upset the balance, we will right it." She shook her head then. "Elena is a problem. You don't want her to turn, but if she's going to live, she can't be within Klaus' reach."

Eyes narrowed, Bonnie turned her head to look up at Caroline, whose mouth parted as she shook her head. "No way, that's like calling those mangy jerks to our front door."

"They won't come here. Klaus doesn't even know where we are." Bonnie pushed up from her seat and started to pace, tapping her fingers over her lips thoughtfully. "We can offer her sanctuary and I'll talk to Elijah myself, tell him that Klaus' pursuit for power can only end one of two ways."

"I know Elijah has a soft spot for you, but don't you think this is asking too much?" Caroline said, shaking her head. "It's his _brother_, Bon."

"You can't kill him anyway. You do that and it'll wipe out everyone from his line," Damon argued. "A line that I, regrettably, am part of."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow back at him.

He clucked his tongue and offered an empty smirk. "Hey, I know you're not a big fan of _my _kind, but I'd really prefer to keep breathing, thanks."

She hummed. "Killing Klaus isn't an option anyway. That would only lead to war with his siblings. Binding him and putting him to rest until he's more reasonable, _that_ might be an option…"

"You could do that?" Stefan asked.

Caroline shrugged. "Sure, if we wanted to. But that's a last resort. Mostly because the Mikaelsons might not have any problem daggering each other every few decades, but they're not too kind to anybody else who tries." She frowned to herself. "Not that I regret trying. Rebekah _totally _had it coming."

Bonnie drew in a deep breath. "She borrowed a _blouse_, Caroline. You really need to let it go."

"Um, more like she _ruined _it! Have you ever tried to get blood out of satin? It doesn't happen."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Bonnie shook her head. "Look, the best option is to have Elena brought here. She'll be safe here while I sit down with Elijah and, if he's willing, Klaus."

"What makes you so sure that Klaus won't just kill you and storm the castle?" Damon wondered. "He might not know where this place is now, but I'm sure he could ask around. If Katherine's really feeling threatened, she might just tell him to save her own neck."

"Katherine's smart. She won't make an enemy out of this coven. She might make rash decisions and get herself into too much trouble from time to time, but she knows that keeping us as allies is a lot better than making us her enemy."

"Emily Bennett," Stefan murmured suddenly. "She was with Katherine back in 1864… She was an Amazonia witch, isn't she?"

"She was. Katherine came to our coven a long time ago, seeking refuge. We offered it and, when she thought she was safe to go back out into the world, Emily went with her. They were friends."

"Katherine doesn't _have_ friends. We're all just pieces on the chess board that is her life," Damon scoffed sourly.

Bonnie pinned him with lethally sharp eyes. "When you've lived as long as she has, gone through as much as she has, and survived, then we can talk. Until then, the matter is closed."

Damon pursed his lips, but gave a nod anyway. "Not to beat a dead horse, but even if we do get Elena out here, there are still people Klaus could use to his advantage. Little Gilbert, for one, and Donovan for another."

"Donovan?" Caroline asked, her brow furrowed.

"Yeah, Matt Donovan. He and Elena grew up together, best friends, dated for a while, that whole boring story."

Caroline glanced at Bonnie before she asked, "Does he have a sister?"

Damon's forehead wrinkled as he tried to think back. "He did, but she took off to some boarding school a couple years back. Why?"

Pursing her lips, Caroline said, "It wasn't just any boarding school. His sister is Vicki." She rolled her eyes. "You know, she's seen Katherine a couple hundred times, you think she'd mention the uncanny similarity between her and this Elena girl."

"I'm sure she had her reasons," Bonnie defended.

"Whatever. You have to say that, you're the head witch in charge." Caroline crossed her arms rather petulantly. "I can complain about her all I want."

Rubbing her temple, Bonnie sighed, "Now's not the time. We need to focus. If Matt is who we think he is, then he can come here. He has ties to a member of this coven, that makes him a friend."

"What about Jer-bear?" Damon asked.

"If there's nowhere else for him to go and he matters to Elena, then he can come too. _However_…" She looked up at them then, her expression serious. "My loyalty and my concern is for my coven first and foremost. If either Matt or Jeremy put them in danger or act in any way that I deem unfit, _they're out_. And that goes for both of you as well."

"You're letting us stay?" Stefan asked, brows hiked in surprise.

"If what you're saying is true then you'll be in danger too. Until I've finished negotiations with Elijah, you can stay here." She turned her eyes toward Damon. "That means no fresh-feeding. You put one fang out of place and I will _personally_ removeit…"

He held his hand up in defeat. "Deal."

Bonnie nodded shortly and then turned to Caroline. "Would you mind showing them around? And see if you can find Vicki; I'd like to talk to her before any of this happens."

"Sure. I think she's in the kitchen helping make dinner." Pushing off the table, Caroline walked toward the guys. "Tour, anybody?"

Stefan nodded, stepping up to walk with her and offering an arm for her to take.

With a laugh, she hooked her arm with his. "So," she said, as they walked to the door. "You and Elena… Dating or…?"

He smiled at her. "Not dating."

She grinned, looking pleased. "Good."

As they walked out of sight, Damon turned his attention back to Bonnie, who was currently chewing her lip, her brow furrowed as she stared off distantly.

"I'm guessing you're always this serious," he said, watching her.

She looked over at him, not the least bit surprised to see that he hadn't left with the others. "Not always. Just when supernatural war is pawing at my door." She offered a faint smile. "I'm guessing you're _not _generally serious."

"Guilty." He shrugged.

"So. What's different?" She eyed him. "There's a reason you hung around while your brother's out getting hit on by Caroline…"

"Straight to the point, huh?" He nodded. "All right, I really just wanted to ask a question."

To distract herself, Bonnie started gathering up books from the table and stacking them in piles. "I'm listening."

"In the hallway, all of the coven leaders have their portraits hung up, with a nifty little quote and everything..."

"They do. It's respectful, each leader can have their portrait done whenever they like, however they want to be remembered, but they aren't hung until the next coven leader takes over."

"And how does a new leader take up the mantle? Is it like a voting system or…?"

"More often than not though, a leader is chosen by the previous leader, but she can be voted out if the coven doesn't feel like she's doing what's best for the coven. If they're not voted out then, unfortunately, the new leader usually takes over because the last one died…"

"You've only been in power, what, a year, two years?" He looked her over from head to toe. "You're still a kid…"

"I'm twenty, and my grandmother was the leader before me. She was training me long before she died. She knew her time was coming and she knew I would stand in her stead."

"Still, twenty's pretty young…" He cocked his head curiously. "Isn't there anybody, y'know, older and wiser who could do it?"

"We have older witches here, but most of them take sabbaticals. A lot go traveling, meet with other covens, build relationships with them. Year round, this is really more of a school. We train our witches to the best of our abilities, in combat and in magic."

"Right. Combat. Because you're all from some ancient Amazonian bloodline or something, right? That's why you have super strength to go with your witchy juju."

Her mouth twisted in an amused smile. "Something like that."

"Pretty big thing though, coven leader at twenty." He eyed her thoughtfully. "Connections with the originals, diplomacy, probably has a broadsword or two under her bed… Not to mention living with a veritable sorority house of beautiful women. Sounds like you've got it pretty good."

"It's not terrible. Is there a question in there?" she wondered.

His face went serious then. "Why help us? Why bother? I know you're worried about war, even if you aren't willing to risk your life to take the curse off Elena. But if you've got Elijah in your pocket, then you and yours are probably safe from global destruction. So why even let us through the gates? We're vampires. Barbie made it clear; our kind isn't welcome here…"

Bonnie walked toward him, searching his eyes for a long moment. "Grams raised me not just to be a good witch but to be a good person. I don't know Elena. I don't know why you and your brother are so adamant that you'd go to any length to save her. I can postulate on the doppelgänger allure, but maybe it's something more human at play, like plain old genuine concern for your fellow man. I _do_ know that tracking down my coven and having the guts to walk up to my gate, that isn't child's play. Katherine must have warned you before you came, and, given it was Katherine, she probably taunted you. Told you that you wouldn't make it past the front door. Even if you don't like her, and I can tell you don't, you must've believed her."

His jaw ticked. "Maybe a little."

"But you still risked it." She nodded. "I like loyalty, Damon. I respect it. Just make sure that whoever you're giving it to deserves it."

He watched her as she turned and walked away from him. For such a tiny little thing, she sure was fierce.

Before he could say anything more, the door to the library opened, and in walked an unenthused Vicki Donovan. "You rang?" she drawled apathetically.

Bonnie turned to look at her. "Vicki. We need to talk. About your brother, specifically."

The apathy drained from Vicki immediately and concern filled her face. "What about Mattie? Is he okay?"

"Take a seat," Bonnie encouraged, taking her own at the table.

"I'll let you two hatch that out," Damon said, before walking to the doors to give them some privacy. He glanced back as Bonnie reached forward, placing a soothing hand atop Vicki's and giving her a reassuring smile.

He hadn't been so sure when he'd first decided that coming here was an option. It was a last ditch chance at trying to keep Elena alive. They may have had a rocky romantic history, but, in the end, she was his friend. His best friend. And he would do whatever it took to keep her alive. If that meant walking into the lion's den, he'd prepared himself to do just that. But whatever he'd expected, it hadn't been Bonnie Bennett. Strong, resourceful, empathetic and smart; she was more than he could have asked for and exactly what they needed. Fingers crossed it all went according to plan.

* * *

**author's note**: _I'm kind of in love with the idea of Bonnie as coven leader and Caroline being her second-in-command. They've got their witch school and all of these amazing ladies learning how to defend the balance. Seriously cool stuff. _

_Anyway, thanks so much for reading! Please leave a review; they're my lifeblood. _

**\- Lee | Fina**


	2. amazonia 2

**chapter rating**: pg-13  
**pairing**: damon/bonnie, caroline/stefan  
**summary**: a plan is made to rescue elena and company from mystic falls while damon takes some time to become better acquainted with amazonia and its leader.

[**Amazonia**]

**II**.

Amazonia was a lot larger in the light of day than it was at night, Damon noticed. Caroline had already told him and Stefan that they were free to roam the grounds, with a teasing, "except the dark forest, which is strictly forbidden."

Stefan, being a sap, instead chose to spend his day with Caroline, who he assured he was _not _mooning over. "She knows a lot about her history. I have a lot of questions and she's willing to share." Stefan pulled on his jacket as he shrugged at Damon, who was sitting at the edge of his bed. They were sharing a room, much to Damon's chagrin, since he felt like a tween instead of a very old vampire who didn't like to share, well, _anything_.

"I'm sure she's _very _willing. Just try not to get us kicked out of here for breaking her poor blonde heart."

Stefan's mouth tilted in amusement. "Who said I'll break it?" He sauntered out of the room then, leaving Damon to roll his eyes.

Staying indoors was not an option, however, especially when he could hear two girls a floor above arguing about who borrowed whose skirt and why it didn't matter because it made the other girl look 'hippy.'

Damon quickly fled the building, making his way outside to see what the big fuss was about. At night, it had seemed there was just a lone building, surrounded by a tall stone wall, with a wrought iron gate at the front. As he started walking around, he realized it was a lot more than that. There was a sprawling garden on the left side of the house, with just about every vegetable and herb he could think of. Considering where they were, and what season it was, he was pretty sure it was being magically maintained to continue growing healthily. He briefly wondered how balanced that was, and then decided one garden couldn't do _that _much damage.

On the right side of the house was an orchard of fruit trees, plump peaches, apples, and pears hung from the branches, ripe and juicy. He plucked a peach and continued walking. At the back of the property, half of it was a dedicated training area, with a track for running, archery stands, a blocked off section where a few girls were fencing, and another where they were practicing their hand to hand combat. On the other side was leisure; a swimming pool, basketball nets, and a baseball diamond. He could just imagine what they were like in the summer, splitting up into baseball teams and having competitions that resulted in ribbons for everyone, because effort mattered more than winning. He snorted to himself and took a large bite of his peach, humming as the juices exploded over his tongue.

"It's come a long way from where it started," a voice piped up at his side.

Damon quirked his head and found a tall black woman, her sun-kissed brown hair pulled up in a high ponytail. She had broad shoulders and toned arms that she kept crossed over her chest. She looked more like an Amazon than the witches he'd met so far, he noticed. She slanted her eyes in his direction, her mouth turned up at one corner. "I'm Lucy. I'm one of the trainers here, and I'm Bonnie's cousin. She told me why you and your brother are here… Katherine's a good friend of mine; she wouldn't have mentioned this place if she wasn't hoping we could help you."

"Katherine and being genuine hasn't been my experience," he said, offering a sarcastic smile.

She laughed, nodding. "She's usually on the defensive, I know. But she always plays her cards just the way she wants them. Which means… if she told you about us, she wanted you to come here. Bonnie knows that, which is why she's willing to give you a chance." Lucy turned to face him properly. "I don't like your kind. Katherine was a rare exception. But I trust Bonnie and she seems to see something in you. That's all I need… _For now_."

Damon nodded shortly. "If it's any consolation, we really didn't come here to screw anything up for you guys. We just needed a little more firepower."

"We have that." Lucy turned back to watch the girls currently grappling, attempting to throw each other down and claim victory. "If what Bonnie says is true, that Klaus might be working toward building an army, then we'll have to be better than ever… This coven builds character, it encourages each witch to be the best individual they can be. Smart, resourceful, strong, and, above all else, kind. There's not a lot of room for kindness when it comes to war. The Amazonia coven was built from the strongest blood, the most powerful witches, and they turned that power into knowledge. They shared it among their sisters and those sisters grew up stronger and stronger, until there was nothing that could match them. They were made to keep the balance between humans, werewolves, and vampires. The Originals might call themselves that, but there were others before them. Others that wanted to rule this world with an iron fist." Lucy looked back at him, her expression cold as stone. "We didn't let them then. We won't let them now."

Damon stared up at her. "It won't be easy. Klaus is… I hate to say it, a lot stronger than anyone I've ever met. Including his siblings."

"He's also arrogant. And with arrogance comes expectation. If he believes he'll win, he doesn't take the precautions to prepare himself." She smirked slyly. "I can work with that."

Humming, he nodded. "So. You're a cousin of Bonnie's?" He raised an eyebrow. "You've obviously got a few years on her, why didn't 'Grams' groom you to take over?"

Lucy shook her head. "To be a leader you have to look at every side of a situation. You have to be every role at the same time; mother, sister, friend, and leader. While our coven encourages all of those things in us, some things stand out more than others. Look at Caroline, she's sweet, friendly, and outgoing. But she's also too straightforward. She has no patience for people wasting her time. She'd rather tell it like it is and let the chips fall where they may. I'm cut from a similar cloth. I don't care for diplomacy. I'm more brute strength than wisdom. Doesn't mean I'm not smart, it just means I know where my strengths lie. Each of these girls are unique, some attributes are just more pronounced than others. Some have all the strength and little power, others have a lot of power and little strength. We balance each other, we work together. Bonnie is different. She can be kind but unbending, smart but humble, soft but strong. Don't get me wrong, she has her faults. She's too self-sacrificing, she hates to be wrong, and she's too stubborn for her own good, but she's still a great leader. Tituba saw that in her; she knew that Bonnie was made for this."

"Doesn't bother you any? You getting looked over for the job?" he wondered, searching her face skeptically.

She laughed, grinning widely. "You kidding? If I was in her shoes, I'd have to deal with all that doppelganger bullshit. Trust me, I had enough when I was traipsing around the States with Katherine. No thanks." She shook her head. "Besides, dealing with the Originals? I don't have the patience, or the inclination. Most of these girls get distracted by all the pretty faces; I couldn't care less. Bonnie at least knows how to play to their egos. If it were up to me, I'd stake them all and put them away somewhere. They can come out when they've learned to stop treating humans like their play toys."

"No love lost there, huh?"

Lucy shrugged. "It's mutual, I'm sure." She cast her eyes toward the girls again and then sighed. "I need to check in on them. Good meeting you, Damon. Try to stay out of trouble. I'd hate to have to kill you."

His mouth twitched and he raised his peach up in cheers.

As she walked off, letting out a sharp whistle to gather the girls in, Damon turned on his heel and continued walking around the property. There were a few girls swimming, while others sunbathed, and two more playing basketball. When the ball veered off its course and landed perfectly through the net, one laughed happily while the other shook her head. "You always cheat! Why do I even play with you?"

Damon chuckled under his breath and continued walking. He spotted Stefan and Caroline taking a walk through the orchard, a happy smile on the pretty blonde's face. His brother, for all that he'd said it was an information gathering walk, looked completely enamored with her. Despite the current situation, Damon couldn't find it in him to be annoyed. His brother had been brooding since birth, if Blondie could bring out a happier side of him, good for her. He deserved a little break after all of this never-ending bullshit. Damon loved Elena, she was his best friend, but saving her ass was exhausting.

Making his way back inside, Damon found himself wandering the lower half of the house. The kitchen was immaculate, pristine white counters with a forest green backsplash, two stovetops, two ovens, a collection of pots and pans hanging above from a rack, a large double sink, a door leading into a walk-in pantry, and at least five colorful aprons hanging from a hook. He snickered a little when he found a broom closet before busying himself seeing what was inside the fridge.

"Hungry?"

He tipped his head back to seek out who was speaking and found a young Asian boy, no older than six. "Didn't know there were any boys allowed in this joint," he noted.

Scrunching up his nose, the boy asked, "Aren't you a boy?"

"Sorry, any _other _boys," he corrected, amused. "Your mom a witch around here, or…?"

He shook his head. "My nana lives here. I'm visiting. What about you?"

"He's visiting too," a familiar voice interrupted. Bonnie stepped into the kitchen and made their way toward them. She smiled down at the little boy and bent so they were face to face. Tucking her hair behind her ears, she said, "I thought you were helping your nana in the garden today. Lyla's missed her gardening buddy."

"I was, but she got too hot and she wanted to nap, so I was coloring, but then I got bored, so I played basketball with Cora and Alixe, but then they started fighting again, 'cause Alixe was cheating. I wanted to go swimming, but Elizabeth and Toni are doing laps and they said they can't watch me. But I'm a big boy, Miss Bonnie, I can watch myself!"

She smiled at him warmly. "I know you are, Bentley. You are _very _big. But sometimes even big boys need help." She put her hands to her knees and stood up. "Right, Damon?"

He glanced at her and then down to Bentley. "Right. You asked why I was here, that's exactly why. I need help and Miss Bonnie here offered it."

Bentley peered up at him curiously. "Do you need floaties too? 'Cause Caroline can teach you how to swim. She taught me and now I can doggy-paddle."

His mouth twitched. "I do have an issue with a dog, but unfortunately it's not swimming-related."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and reached over to give Bentley's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Why don't you go see what Sue is doing? If you ask her nicely, she might work on her hovering spells with you."

Excitedly, Bentley hopped on spot and then ran toward the door. "Bye Miss Bonnie, bye Damon," he shouted back, pushing open the swinging door.

His hurried footsteps echoed back to them and Damon shook his head, looking back at Bonnie. "Nice set-up you got here."

Bonnie hopped up to sit on the counter, her legs swinging. "The kitchen, or everything?" she wondered.

"Both. The kitchen's a highlight. I could bake a mean ziti in here. Even better, I saw you were growing chili peppers out there, and I'm a master at arrabbiata sauce."

Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Are you offering to cook for the coven, Damon? That's a tall order."

He shrugged. "Maybe after, to show my gratitude."

She hummed, tipping her head. "Is that what you meant when you said you could offer some other way of payment for our services?"

He ducked his head as he laughed, looking up at her from the tops of his eyes. "Can't say it was. Although, wining and dining you is an option, if you're interested."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow, but her lips curled up at the corners. "We'll see." Pushing off the counter, she dropped back to the floor on bare feet, a silver toe ring winking up at him. "Since I have you though, I thought we could discuss how we're going to have Elena brought here. I know you're worried about Klaus finding out, so we'll be careful. It _is_ time sensitive, though. I don't imagine having her go into hiding is putting Klaus at ease much. And if he's noticed you and your brother are missing, he'll start putting the puzzle together."

Damon nodded, and followed her out of the kitchen and down the hall. He paused when he noticed a picture with a grinning Bonnie and Caroline. "You were a cheerleader," he said, her voice full of teasing.

She looked back at him over her shoulder, spotted the picture, and then joined him at his side. Her current smile was much softer, full of fond memories as she gazed as her younger self. "Simpler times, I guess."

"You and Caroline grew up together?"

She nodded. "A lot of the witches that come from here go on to have families. They can always return to the house and they remain a part of the coven, but they make homes elsewhere. Because I was mostly raised by Grams, I was always here. Caroline's mother, Liz, she was… an amazing warrior. She was an elite protector of the coven."

"Like Lucy," he said. She hadn't confirmed it, but he got the sense that was exactly what Lucy would be.

"Yeah, exactly like Lucy. Except, ten years ago, Lucy wasn't fully trained yet and Liz was our first defense. We were having trouble with a werewolf pack that had set down roots in a town nearby and refused to follow the rules. They weren't chaining themselves up at night and the body count was high. Grams tried to talk to their leader, but he was reckless, he thought they should be allowed to roam free. That humans were merely prey and so he shouldn't care about the casualties after a full moon. We couldn't let that happen and when he realized we wouldn't leave them to their business, they decided to attack. Liz was lost in the fight, but not before she put their leader down for good. The other wolves were warned that if they tried it again, Grams would bind them so that every night would feel like a full moon without the benefit of actually turning." She looked up at him, her eyes sad. "They left and it was considered a victory in most respects. But Caroline didn't have a mother anymore, so she was taken under Grams' wing and we grew up together, side by side."

"Like sisters."

"We're all sisters here, everyone in the coven, but… for me, Caroline is my equal, even if she doesn't always see it that way." Bonnie took another moment to gaze at the picture and then turned to continue walking, making her way toward the library once more.

Damon gave one last lingering look at cheerleader Bonnie, before he followed the real thing.

"Where is Elena now?" Bonnie asked as she moved to her chair at the head of the large, wooden table, still stacked with books, though noticeably different ones from the previous night. She raised one leg up, knee against her chest and foot balanced on the edge of her seat.

The doors swung shut behind him gently, a lock echoing as she looked over at him curiously. Damon had known a lot of witches in his time, some were showboats while other only used their powers when necessary. He had no doubts that, young or not, Bonnie was a powerful with. If pushed, he imagined she would put on the kind of show that would leave any vampire quaking in their shoes. The periodic uses she'd shown were all casual, nothing big or distracting, but instinctual things. He wondered what that meant.

Making his way over to her, he said, "She's with a friend. _Alaric_. He was something of a vampire hunter, once upon a time. Kind of tarnishes the reputation when his best friend is a vampire…" He shrugged. "Anyway, he's been Elena's guardian since her aunt died, and her parents before them, both adopted and biological. So he's keeping an eye on her and Little Gilbert; he's got them in a cabin just outside of Mystic Falls."

"And she's been there since you and your brother came here?"

He nodded. "Klaus has been busy training a few of his new hybrids. When he's sure they're ready, he'll start using her to make more."

Bonnie hummed. "And this Alaric, will he need somewhere to stay too?"

Damon winced. "I didn't think about it, but yeah, probably. He'll have a hey-day in here. He's a teacher and history, occult or otherwise, is kind of his thing."

"Some of these books are free for reading, others are only open to coven members."

"Bet you guys have a _ton _of grimoires," he said thoughtfully.

"Our fair share…" She hugged an arm around her raised knee. "How long did it take you to find us?"

"A couple days. We ran into a few dead ends, but Katherine left us some clues and eventually we figured it out."

"So Elena's been hiding out for at least two days…" She frowned. "We'll have to move her tonight."

Surprised, he asked, "You can do it that quickly?"

She nodded. "I'll get Lucy and Caroline on it. Caroline's our best strategist and Lucy will offer cover. Vicki wanted to go because of her brother, but she's emotional, that makes her powers unstable. Caroline and Lucy will pick out who else they want to take with them, one witch per person; including Alaric, that's four, and I imagine you and your brother will want to come along, so make it six."

"What happens after they get here?" he wondered.

"I'll get in contact with Elijah, set up a meeting with him off of coven property. At that point, he'll probably have an idea of what's going on. We'll discuss what can be done moving forward."

"They probably won't be too keen to leave us alone. I've gotta admit, we've tried to kill them more than a few times."

"You understand, Damon, that my coven wants _balance_. That means that the scales won't tip solely in your favor. I'll discuss with Elijah what can be done to make him and his happy. That might mean that you and yours never make another attempt on their lives, _or _ever ask for their help." She frowned, staring at him searchingly then. "I know it must bug you, knowing that they're out there and that they're strong enough to destroy you at any time, but you've just going to have to accept that."

"They leave us alone, I'll leave them alone," he assured, shrugging. "The problem is getting them to agree to that. If you haven't noticed, they really seem to like playing with people… Wasn't that why you destroyed that werewolf pack?"

She pursed her lips at him. "Grams made an example out of a bad leader; the others learned their lesson. There were casualties that I wish were still alive today. I want to discuss this with Elijah, find a way to _avoid _bloodshed, human, vampire, or otherwise."

"What makes you think Elijah will go for it anyway? I know Barbie said he had a soft spot for you, but how big of one?"

"Elijah's always had a healthy respect for witches," she said dismissively. "We need to focus. Have you talked to Alaric about what you're doing here?"

"I told him before we left that we were looking for a way to get the curse off of Elena's blood, but I haven't talked to him about this yet."

"Call him. Don't tell him anything though, just make sure they're packed and ready to go. You never know who's listening."

"Done," he agreed.

Bonnie nodded, leaning back in her seat. With a sigh, she said, "I need to start thinking about what I'm going to say and what I can offer to make this work." Pushing up, she hugged an arm around her waist and started walking a circle as she lost herself in thought.

He watched her move, wondering if she was aware that she was actually hovering a few inches off the floor. "So, out of curiosity, when you're not saving your mortal enemies and their friends, what do you do around here for fun?"

She paused, looking back at him, still raised a good six inches in the air. "Fun?"

"Yeah. You guys ever all go out for a night on the town, or do you generally stay cooped up here?"

"We have a lot here to occupy us," she said, a little defensively. "But yes. We can leave anytime we want."

"Do you?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Do I _what?_"

He smiled, slowly. "Do you ever go out, have fun, take off the leadership role and try being young and free?"

"Are you suggesting I'm uptight?" Her eyes narrowed. "Because that's not the best way to get into my good graces."

"I'm not suggesting anything. I'm just wondering if Vicki's right and you never leave the library."

Bonnie sighed, tapping her toe irritably. "I have work to do. Maintaining a coven isn't easy. I have a lot of people relying on me to keep things running smoothly and don't think for a second that you're the only people who have come seeking help or asylum. My duty is to protect and serve this coven and the balance. If that means giving up my weekends, then fine. I'll do that."

"What if it didn't mean that?"

She frowned at him.

"Well, that's your interpretation, right? I mean, sure, being coven leader is probably a full-time job, and you obviously put a lot of work into it. But that doesn't mean you have to put _everything_ in. Why not take the weekends off? Get drunk, go clubbing, pick up a hot vampire to warm your bed for the night…"He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "What's the harm?"

Bonnie let out a little snort and shook her head. "Sounds easy when you put it that way."

He grinned. "I'm an easy kind of guy."

A knock at the door interrupted them then and Bonnie turned. "Yes?"

"It's Care. Stefan wants to talk to you."

Stefan piped up then, "Elena called; she thinks Klaus is getting restless. He's called a few times, she answered before, but now he's starting to wonder why she isn't in town…"

The doors unlocked and opened, letting in Caroline and Stefan, who walked toward them, expressions pinched.

"I've already talked to Lucy," Caroline informed Bonnie. "We can do an extraction tonight, but that might be too long. Malese and Amrita are on grounds and ready to move with us. Stefan told his friends to be packed and ready. If we go now, we can be there in three hours, two if we push it."

Bonnie inhaled deeply and raised her chin. "If you're sure it's doable, and safe…"

Caroline nodded. "It's not ideal, but we can work with this. The others are getting ready. There's no guarantee there'll be a fight, but we want to be prepared just in case."

"If Klaus does want a fight, he'll bring his hybrids." Bonnie stared at Caroline seriously. "Be careful."

Cracking her serious expression, Caroline smiled then. "Don't worry about me. I've got it handled."

Bonnie offered a brief smile before turning her attention to Damon and Stefan. "If you're going, get ready. Rooms will be ready for everyone when you get back."

"Thank you, Bonnie," Stefan said earnestly. "We really appreciate this."

"Thank me when it's over," she said.

Lucy swaggered into the room then, all hips and leather. "Ready?" At their nods, she said, "Care, you're riding with Amrita, I'll ride with Malese."

Caroline stuck out her lower lip then. "Amrita hates me. I want Malese."

"Amrita doesn't hate you, she just prefers the sound of the radio to your voice." Lucy rolled her eyes. "Deal with it. It's only a few hours."

"So says _you_. Malese, at least, likes conversation. You're not the one stuck with whiny country music."

"Then take your pretty boy with you, talk _his _ear off." Lucy turned on her heel. "We're wasting time arguing."

With a sigh, Caroline followed after her. "It's not an argument if you always win."

Lucy smirked at her over her shoulder. "Sure it is, you just suck at it."

Damon looked at his brother. "Good luck with that one."

Stefan merely half-smiled. "You'll like her when you get to know here." He nodded farewell to Bonnie and then walked to the door.

Damon turned to Bonnie as they were left alone once more. "Guess we'll see you in a couple hours. Wish us luck."

"You have four of the strongest witches I know with you, you don't need luck. Just enough common sense to listen to them."

He chuckled under his breath. "I'm going to take that as a blessing for a good trip." He winked at her before he turned and left.

Climbing into the SUV with Lucy and, who he assumed was, Malese, he looked back to see Bonnie standing on the door step, arms crossed over her chest.

He raised his hand and wiggled his fingers in farewell, and smiled when she waved back.

* * *

**…**

* * *

The drive back to Mystic Falls was spent distracted, at least for him. Malese and Lucy talked shop; strategy, weaknesses, hybrids, and vampires. Damon mostly stared out the window, wondering if they might just get through this situation unscathed, for once. He hoped so. He was really tired of fighting every day of his life.

When they finally pulled up to the cabin, Stefan's SUV was just ahead of them, parked and waiting.

"Stay behind me," Lucy ordered him. "Keep your head down and don't engage unless they attack you first."

He saluted her rather mockingly, but listened as he hopped out of the truck. Malese, who had the same general build as Lucy, tall and athletic, had her black hair tied back in a French braid that reached down to the small of her back. She had high cheekbones and widely set brown eyes with impossibly long lashes. A spattering of freckles covered her narrow nose and a ring hugged her bottom lip. She carried herself gracefully, with an edge that said she was ready and willing to fight. Damon wondered if her witchy powers matched her obvious physical strength.

The doors opened and closed on the SUV ahead of them and Stefan, Caroline, and Amrita hopped out to walk with them. Amrita was on the shorter side; her hair was shaved down to a brown stubble and her ears were dressed in various piercings. She glanced in their direction and merely tilted her chin in a nod.

The door to the cabin opened, spilling orange light onto the deck, and Alaric stepped out to greet them, raising a hand. "We're ready when you are."

Caroline and Amrita stepped forward, the former holding a bow in her hand, fingers gripped tight around it. Caroline's eyes darted to and fro before she walked up the steps. She looked back to Lucy and gestured with her hand; Lucy nodded back and stayed where she was standing.

"Go inside, help the others," Lucy told him.

Damon glanced at her, perturbed by the demand, but went inside, leaving Lucy and Malese to do whatever it was she was doing.

As soon as he walked inside, Elena was on them. "What's going _on?_ You guys disappear for three days and then show up with four complete strangers!?"

Caroline marched through the room, ignoring her. "You need to get your bags, now. And I need names. We've already decided who's going where."

As the boys started to gather their things, Elena tossed her hands up and stepped in front of Caroline. "No! Not until someone tells me what the hell is going on here."

Caroline glanced at her and then looked past her to Matt. "You're Vicki's brother, right? I've seen pictures of you on her wall."

Matt's brows raised. "You know my sister?"

"I live with her." She rolled her eyes. "She snores loud enough to wake the dead."

He snorted. "Yeah, she does." Her brow furrowed. "Wait, what does that have to do with…?"

"Vicki is a witch," Caroline said, offering little time to get used to the idea. She looked back to Elena then. "So am I and so are my friends. Stefan and Damon came to us because we're you're only chance of getting out from Klaus. Simple enough?"

"But… _How?_"

Impatiently, Caroline rolled her eyes. "Ask your questions on the way. Or, better yet, ask Bonnie your questions. Right now, you four need to get your things and get into the trucks, because tonight is taco night, and I'm not missing out on tacos."

Elena blinked at her rapidly, her brows furrowed, and then looked to Damon.

"She's right. We don't have time. Listen, just trust us, we wouldn't be doing this if we didn't think it was safe. Bonnie's already promised she'll get it figured out. She's invited you, all of you, to stay with them. I know it's confusing right now, but it'll make sense later."

"Well, I'm set. I haven't seen Vicki in three years," Matt said, hauling his bag up and onto his shoulder. "Besides, last I checked, she was at an all-girls boarding school." He grinned lightheartedly.

Jeremy snorted, but followed suit by grabbing up his duffle bag too.

As they moved to the door, Caroline followed them. "We'll put you two with me. No offense, Jeremy, was it? But we need to keep you and Elena separated for safety reasons."

"Because they could use me against her?" he sighed knowingly.

"Family's a weakness, like it or not," she said, shrugging.

As the door swung open and she stepped out, there was a growl from the left.

A shout went out, but it wasn't fast enough. A blur of a body could be seen before Caroline was tackled to the porch, pinned by one of Klaus' hybrids. Snarling and laughing could be heard from the woods as more came from the trees, hopping down off of branches and stalking through the bushes.

The group moved to the porch, and Damon watched, surprised, as Caroline's hand gripped the hybrid's throat tight. A blue glow encompassed her fingers and he could hear the crunch of a larynx breaking beneath her grip. As the hybrid gasped for air, she shoved her other hand through his chest and ripped his heart out. Shoving the body aside, she took Stefan's offered hand and pulled herself up.

Teeth gritted, she turned on her heel to face the others. "You wanna play?" she yelled, grabbing up her bow. "How's fetch sound?" With that, she shot off three arrows and the group watched as they pierced the chests of three separate hybrids, pinning one to a tree while the other two toppled to the ground.

Damon blinked and then glanced back at his brother. "She might grow on me."

Stefan merely grinned before he grabbed up Elena's bag by the door. "We need to move."

"We can't go out there! They'll tear you guys apart," Elena cried, grabbing his arm to stop him.

"I don't know, it looks more like _they're_ getting torn apart," Damon mused, watching idly by the door.

Lucy was in her prime, using both magic and brute strength to battle her enemies. She used a rope made entirely of magical energy to tie a hybrid to a tree while she used another like a whip, wrapping it around a hybrid's neck, giving it a tug to make it snap.

Malese and Amrita were fighting back to back, using each other to push off of, balancing against one another as they threw elaborate kicks and punches, spinning themselves and each other, using one another's body weight to heighten each blow. Finally, they cartwheeled away from each other, back flipping until they landed with Amrita nearest the front porch and Malese by the SUV's, a tire iron in hand that she was swinging at various heads.

"Get your shit, because this is a one chance run," Caroline barked.

"That's everything," Alaric answered, two bags over his arms, one heavy with books and weapons while the other held his clothes. "Think I'll need a stiff drink or three when this is over."

"Make it a bottle," Damon agreed.

Caroline stepped out then and raised her hands up, one still wet with blood. She began chanting, her eyes closed and a sudden gust of wind sent her hair flying. What she was saying, Damon couldn't make out, but a rumble of thunder could be heard growling above. It had been clear skies driving in, so he knew it was probably the warrior witch in front of him.

Caroline's eyes suddenly sprung open, a milky white color instead of their previous blue. She stepped off the stairs and started chanting louder, her chest heaving. The blood on her hand suddenly lifted from her skin and spun in a ribbon of liquid, weaving in and out of her fingers before forming a miniature cyclone at the tip of her forefinger. Damon watched as the hybrids started lifting from the ground. They fell forward as their feet lost purchase and grappled for the forest floor, but they just kept lifting, suspended mid-air, spinning in dizzying circles. And then Caroline threw her hands out abruptly. The blood cyclone suddenly split into little droplets and were thrust left and right. Mimicking them, every hybrid was suddenly flying away from them, as if they'd been magically catapulted in either direction.

"_Move_, now," Lucy yelled, yanking open the SUV doors and waving everybody inside. She grabbed Elena and Alaric by their arms and hustled them toward her SUV while Damon followed after them, hopping into the back.

Caroline stumbled a little as she moved toward her side, and Stefan caught her around the waist.

"She gonna be okay?" Damon wondered.

Lucy glanced back. "That spell is usually a group effort, it'll take a little out of her. But she's strong, and it's taco night, so I'm sure she'll find the energy by the time we get home."

He snorted and hopped inside the truck, taking a seat beside Elena while Alaric took over the back row.

"You bring enough?" Damon asked, eyeing his bags.

"If I knew you were bringing me to the Amazonia coven, I wouldn't have bothered with my books. As it is, I took what I thought I'd need."

Damon shrugged, leaning sideways to see him better. "Bonnie said a lot of the books they had were open for public consumption. So you'll have plenty to keep you busy."

"Okay, _who _is Bonnie?" Elena wondered, staring up at him in confusion. "And what the hell _was _that?"

"An ambush," Lucy said, keeping her eye out the window, searching for oncoming trouble as Malese sped back toward the highway. "Looks like you were right, Klaus was getting suspicious and sent his little minions to track you down."

"How'd you know it was the Amazonia coven?" Damon wondered, looking back at Alaric.

"Are you kidding me? They were one of the first covens I looked into when I started getting interested in the occult. Finding information on them took me _years_, but that didn't make it any less fascinating… Let's just say they're more than a little unique." He cast his eyes up toward the front and then back to Damon. "What I don't get is how _you _managed to convince them to help us. Amazonia witches are about balance, they don't take sides."

"Yeah, so Bonnie keeps drilling into me. I guess they're not _technically_ taking sides. She's going to sit down with Elijah and hash it out. We explained that war was coming if somebody didn't rein in Klaus. He'd been getting a little too hybrid happy and if he keeps it up, they're going to have a lot of trouble keeping things balanced." He frowned. "Now that they really had any trouble back there."

Lucy scoffed. "Those hybrids were new. They're untrained. Give it a few years and some real training and we'll have a serious problem. Which is why we can't let it get that far."

Elena stared at Lucy for a moment before turning to Damon, her brows arched. "_Explain_."

He sighed.

* * *

**…**

* * *

They managed to make it back to the house without another incident, but Damon didn't truly relax until the gates closed behind them. Elena had fallen asleep on the way, but she blinked her eyes open as the SUV came to a stop. Hopping out, Damon noticed the chatter inside was coming from one particular area in the house.

"Taco night!" Caroline suddenly cried, hurrying up the stairs and racing inside. "You bitches better have left me some!" Apparently her energy level was back up.

Amused, Stefan trailed after her, and Damon shook his head.

Lucy started up to the house, turning to face the group as she said, "I'll help you get settled and then you can join everyone for dinner."

Just as she was about to go inside, Vicki appeared in the doorway and hopped from the top step to the driveway. "Mattie!" She raced toward him and threw her arms around his neck in a hug.

Letting out an emotional laugh, he gripped her tightly, burying his face against her hair.

Alaric sidled up to Lucy with Jeremy following after him.

Elena, arms crossed, looked to Damon. "I want to talk to this Bonnie. I appreciate that you found her and she's offered her help, but I think I should plead my own case."

He shrugged. "Sure."

Lucy walked inside with Alaric and Jeremy, while Malese and Amrita made their way to where the noise was the loudest. Damon followed after them, an uncomfortable Elena just behind him.

As they walked through a pair of opened doors, they found a long table surrounded by excited, chattering witches of all ages and ethnicities. Plates of food sat in front of them while heaping bowls of lettuce, black beans, tomatoes, shredded cheese, green beans, cilantro, corn, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, and spiced ground beef were spread all over. Platters of taco shells and soft tortillas were prepped and waiting while jugs of water, milk, and juice were also in reach. It was a veritable feast and suddenly Damon understood why the garden was not only so big, but so well taken care of. It had to feed a lot of mouths.

At the head of the table, Bonnie was laughing at something one of the other girls was saying, her smile wide and her eyes bright. For a moment, the noise in the room dulled to a distant roar, and all he could see was her. A tug at his arm reminded him why he was there and he cleared his throat. "Maybe we should wait until after dinner," he suggested.

Elena chewed her lip nervously.

Walking into the dining room from a door connected to the kitchen, Caroline wiped her hands on a dish towel before making her way down the table, Stefan still with her.

Bonnie, spotting her, stood from the table and circled around to meet her. She took Caroline's hands and squeezed before pulling her in for a quick hug. She offered a smile to Stefan then before raising an eyebrow. He nodded his chin to the side and Bonnie turned until her eyes met Damon's over the table. Her attention soon moved downward to Elena.

To Caroline, she said, "Sit, have something to eat. You too, Stefan, if you want. I know it's not your usual choice of food, but I guarantee it's good."

"Thank you."

Making her way around to the other side of the table, Bonnie met Damon and Elena by the doors. "You must be Elena." She held a hand out. "I'm Bonnie."

Elena's brows hiked with surprised. "Oh! I… I wasn't expecting you to be so…"

Bonnie's mouth tilted with amusement. "Young?"

"Yes." Elena winced. "_Sorry!_ I… I didn't mean to offend you."

Shaking her head, Bonnie told her, "It's fine. Trust me, I get that a lot." She paused before adding, "A lot's happened, I'm sure you want to talk…"

"I don't want to interrupt, or bother you, I just… I feel like I should explain myself," Elena sighed.

"Damon and Stefan have done a good job representing you, but it's always better from the source. Plus, if you have questions, I can answer them." She glanced up at Damon and said, "You can eat if you want to. I think Elena and I should talk alone."

He shrugged. "Tacos it is." He watched them as they walked away, offering a reassuring smile to Elena before she was out of sight. With a sigh, he moved to join his brother at the table, making up his plate of tacos as he listened to Caroline tell Stefan about her first time shooting a bow and arrow.

"It's not funny! Lucy didn't talk to me for a week, she swore I did it on purpose, but my aim just sucked." Frowning, she added, "She still hasn't really forgiven me. She says I'm the reason her butt is lopsided."

Stefan chuckled. "How do apologize for shooting someone with an arrow?"

"Well, I was eight at the time, so mostly I just cried…" She shrugged. "Honestly, I'm pretty sure the only reason she stopped yelling at me was because she was sick of hearing me cry."

"Did it work?"

"At the time, yeah. But she still brings it up when she's mad."

"Whose fault is that?" Lucy piped up, taking a seat across from them.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "It was an _accident_. You need to forgive and forget!"

Lucy snorted. "How about I shoot _you_ and we're even."

"No way, my ass is perfect!"

Stefan filled his mouth with taco so he wouldn't have to comment, but Damon sat back, amused. He stacked his hands on his stomach and just let the flow of conversation rush over him. He'd already tried listening in on Bonnie and Elena, but the witch had muffled any sound coming from the library. He would just have to trust them and ask his questions later. For all that he'd been suspicious when first approaching the coven, he found part of him sincerely trusted Bonnie and her band of warrior witches to help them out. In the meantime, he would enjoy the brief break they would have before the inevitable fallout.

* * *

**author's note**: _because i suck at leaving things alone, this is now a three-parter, meaning the next update should be the conclusion to this particular prompt before i start adding others. i hope you liked it, because these characters are seriously fun to work with in this au. _

_thanks so much for reading! please do leave a review! _

\- **lee | fina**


	3. angels & demons

**rating**: pg-13/teen  
**pairing**: damon/bonnie  
**summary**: (au) Damon Salvatore, a Chaos Demon, discusses love, life and death with an angel, Bonnie Bennett.

[**_Angels &amp; Demons_**]

Damon finds her where he often finds her, sitting on the fire escape outside of a run-down apartment building, her legs hanging over the edge, her arms stacked on a wrought iron cross bar with her chin resting atop them. Her eyes are wide as she looks out over the city, taking in the architecture, the voices, the smells and noises, but, most of all, spying on her favorite would-be couple.

He stays in the shadows for a while, blending in, his all black wardrobe helping even while his fair skin are in complete opposition to them. Bonnie wore the same dress she'd been wearing the day she died; a bright blue number with white polka dots and a white belt cinched at her small waist. The blood of that day doesn't stain the fabric; instead her dress is pristine, despite being the only thing she's worn for sixty years. He lucked out on that end; he died in a war he never believed in, wearing a uniform he never wanted to set eyes on again. His boss was kind enough to let him wear whatever he wanted, so he does.

Damon is a Chaos Demon, he thrives on, basically, fucking things up. His one and only job is to incite the humans, and his mere presence, unseen by their eyes, often does the trick. But he can whisper in their ear like the proverbial devil on their shoulder, encouraging their rage and wrath, building up the beauty of power and control until their ultimate downfall. There are many of his kind; some stuck to small crowds while others were attracted to the lure of war, directing people in power to turn the tide of peace in a whole other direction. He's seen his fair share of bloodshed since he died in 1864; sometimes he swears he can taste it.

But it's not chaos he's seeking tonight; instead, it's one of the only beings he's met that's brought him sincere and absolute peace.

"Does the Big Guy know you play Cupid on your downtime?" he wonders, finally stepping out to speak to her.

She doesn't look at him, or even flinch, merely raising an eyebrow. More often than not, she corrects him, telling him that there are many Gods, not one 'All-Seeing' creator. That, by essence, 'the Big Guy' that she works for could be a woman or a genderless floating head for all he knows, and he shouldn't make assumptions just because he was stuck with the embodiment of Satan. She skips the lecture today though and instead says, "That implies I intervene. I prefer to think of it like television; I root from afar, with no personal righting of wrongs."

"Ah, ah, ah," he corrects, wagging his finger. "I saw you trip Blondie last week so she'd fall into whatshisface's arms."

"Still playing at ignorance, Damon?" She raises her head then and looks back at him, her green eyes as sharp as ever. "Do I need to point out the obvious?"

He sighs, long and hard, and walks over to take a seat beside her, adjusting his leather jacket and smoothing out the arms like he has all the time in the world. And really, he does. He's dead. Or, well, kind of. He's a demon, meaning he died and his spirit was sent down to hell where it manifested into a servant of Lucifer. In his opinion, his boss wasn't too bad, sure he had his flaws, mostly in frequently sending his demons out to play havoc with the world, but he also mercilessly tortures some pretty awful people, which makes him all right in Damon's books. Sure, he's not the cream of the crop either, after all he's the one encouraging those terrible people, but he likes to think that humans are inherently wrong, and he's only bringing that awfulness forward so that they get their just desserts in the end. If roasting them over a spit is in the cards for them in their afterlife, who is he not to make it happen?

Turning his attention back to the people Bonnie's spying on, he mutters dismissively, "So he looks a little like my brother. Big whoop."

"You forget I've met him. He, unlike you, got into 'heaven.' And _that_… is an exact mirror of him," Bonnie informs him. "I've heard whispers about the doppelganger."

"Yeah? Well, put 'em to rest. You might need your eyes checked, 'cause this one doesn't have _nearly_ as much forehead as Stephano did."

"He's named after him too. _Stefan_," she tells him, smiling lightly. "He's a good man. _Kind_, warm, gentle-hearted…"

"What are you, ?" He frowns at her, glaring across the way to where he can see his brother's mirror image writing away in a journal, his brow furrowed and his lips pursed. "He's got all of his worst qualities too. Brooding, boring, _total_ buzzkill…"

Bonnie stares knowingly at him from the corner of her eyes.

He glares at her. "_What_?"

"Nothing…" She shrugs. "Does _your _boss know you peek in on Brother 2.0?"

Damon rolls his eyes. "I do not _check in_," he denies. "I just pick up on it whenever I find you out here spying on him, Lucy Lurker."

"It's not him I'm curious about. Although, he is nice to look at," she muses.

He lets out a huff that she kindly ignores.

"I like _her_," she tells him, turning her attention to the apartment right next door to Stefan's.

"Didn't know you were into girls, Judgy." He wiggles his eyebrows at her. "This opens a lot of doors for me… Fantasies I never thought could come true are now a whole lot better."

She doesn't give him the satisfaction of a reaction. It both annoys and turns him on.

"Her name is Caroline. She's sweet on him." Bonnie bites her lip as she smiles. "Sometimes she practices what she'll say to him before she goes over to borrow a cup of sugar or milk or, one time, a light bulb." Her nose wrinkles with amusement. "She's usually confident, but she really likes him, so she flounders a lot. It's cute."

"You weren't kidding. This is like some shitty teen soap opera," he complains.

"Just because you don't enjoy watching them grow doesn't mean I can't," she tells him simply.

An onyx feather floats down to land on his shoulder; she always sheds when she's annoyed with him. She's good at masking it for the most part, but her wings tell him different. They bristle up too, when he strikes a nerve. The best part though, is when they start to move, sending little beats of air against him; that's when she's happy. He can't always see her wings; if he looks at them directly, they disappear from sight, but out of the corner of his eye he can see them, tucked against her back. The feathers she sheds only last for a few seconds before evaporating into a fine black dust that's quick to ride the wind elsewhere. He holds onto them as long as he can; they're as soft as she always looks.

"What's so great about watching them grow old and croak? Every single one of them has a limited lifespan," he reminds her.

"It's what they _do _with that time… or what they don't do." She shakes her head. "Stefan likes her too. He smiles when he hears her music playing and he times his trips to the mailbox to when she goes down to do laundry. He always asks about her mom because he knows she's a sheriff in Caroline's home town and that Caroline worries about her safety. He sits outside on the stoop on Friday nights, because that's the night Caroline always goes out with her friend Elena for drinks, and one time she nearly fell down the stairs, she was so tipsy. So he goes out and waits for her, walks her inside to make sure she's safe. He doesn't tell her though. Doesn't ask her out for coffee or a date, even though he's had a hundred chances. He paces and ridicules himself for not doing it, but he never does. Because he likes her too much and at least if he never asks, he knows there's still a chance."

Damon watches her as she talks, the gentle hope that lines her pretty face.

Bonnie died young. She was just seventeen years old, headstrong and smart, living in a world that spat on her for merely being. She and her sister Sheila were radical thinkers back in the fifties, they joined protests and marched against the indignities forced on their people. Bonnie paid the ultimate price for speaking out; _death_. Damon still remembered how she cried, tears spilling down her cheeks, chaos all around her, her throat raw as she screamed for her sister. She was beaten bloody and left to die in the streets. He hadn't incited that fight; sometime the humans did it all on their own. He'd merely been lured their by the taste of chaos in the air.

Unseen, long dead and in the service of Lucifer by that time, Damon had knelt down beside her, closing her pretty green eyes so she wouldn't have to see the unjust world that still surrounded her. He'd been checking in on her ever since, sometimes from afar and sometimes up close. Bonnie, unlike most, stuck with him.

Unlike him, Bonnie had earned her place in heaven with her heart and her love of others. She earned the wings on her back with her compassion and her loyalty. And, for whatever reason, she let the wayward demon that saw fit to interrupt her life from time to time tag along as he pleased. She never pressured him to be better, not directly anyway, instead she encouraged him to think, to question what he thought and did. That was probably worse. He wondered sometimes, what his boss would think of her. Most flinched under his penetrating gaze, but he imagined Bonnie wouldn't. She'd raise her stubborn little chin up and speak to him as an equal. If he had to pick one person who could stand up to the devil and earn his respect, he thought it'd probably be her.

"Do you miss it?" he wonders, watching her curiously.

"Miss what?"

"Living, being where they are…" He pauses before adding, "Falling in love…"

She looks back at him, searching his face. "Sometimes. I miss my sister and my father. I wish I'd been there when my niece, Abby, was growing up, that I could have told her stories about her mother, how strong and amazing she was. I miss not knowing what happens after death, being able to play ignorant to how short human life is." She turns back to look at the building across from them thoughtfully. "There was a boy that I thought I could love… He was warm and smart and… He used to hold my hand like it was spun glass." She lets out a wistful sigh at the foggy memory. "I miss that."

He hums, his brow furrowed, and watches her a while longer, the wind making her long, brown curls sway. She's the prettiest thing he thinks he's ever seen. He remembers a girl, back when he was alive, but her name escapes him. Her voice and her face have become so distant, and he wonders sometimes if that's just what happens over time, or if it comes with being a demon. Letting go of human emotion has to be part of the starter package. He remembers his brother though, vividly, and, though he's loathe to admit it, this Stefan individual, that must be a distant relative of his, does look exactly like the brother Damon lost some time ago. He remembers his father more in mannerisms and his outright distaste for him. He thinks though, that it's his envy of his brother, his hatred of his father, that allows him to hold onto those things. He knows Bonnie will tell him different, that it's his _love _of Stephano that lets him remember, and no devil can take it from him. Sometimes he lets himself believe that.

"How does it end?" he wonders curiously.

She thinks on it a moment, crossing her feet at the ankle. "Caroline gets up her courage first," she decides. "She's a modern woman. And impatient. She'll ask him to go out for drinks sometime or coffee one afternoon. And he'll agree, act casual about it in front of her and fist pump as soon as she's gone. Caroline will spends hours getting ready, he'll primp and second guess his outfit twice. The date will be awkward at first, but Caroline's nothing if not focused, so she'll find a way to break the ice. They'll talk about work and books and food and friends and music… She'll ask him to dance with her when a good song come on and he'll resist but let her drag him out anyway. They'll dance and their eyes will meet and sparks will fly. It'll be the first step to falling in love. The first of many… They'll date for a year before moving in together, and a few more before he proposes. They'll get married in June and have two children, a dog, and entirely too much debt. But they'll be happy, even when they fight and struggle. They'll grow old and spoil their grandchildren. And after long, amazing lives, they'll finally die. Like all things do, and will, and should."

He frowns then, his eyes narrowing as he looks at her. "Should?"

"What's the point of living if it never ends? What can you learn and do when you know there's no time limit, no race to be the best version of yourself? In order to live, to push themselves, to create something beautiful in the briefest of moments, they have to know that their moment will end."

"Sounds a little depressing, Bon-Bon," he sighs.

"Why?" She looks back at him then. "We know what comes next. Just because they die doesn't mean everything's gone. There's more after. There's us."

"You think Stefan's going to join up with the demons, cause a little havoc?" he snorts.

"Everybody has a dark side," she says with a shrug. "But that's not what I meant… You and I lived, albeit shortly, and we died. But we're not lost to the ether, Damon. We still exist. We still feel pain and love and we still move through this world. Not always seen or felt, but here all the same." Her wings unfold from her back, and he feels the sweet escape of cool wind fluttering against him. "I can still fall in love. I can see the beauty in everything around me. Even the snarky demon with a heart that refuses to beat."

He raps his knuckles against his chest. "It kicks up sometimes… I'm pretty sure it's usually just spicy food that does it, but every once in a while it surprises me."

Bonnie smiles back at him, and a black feather brushes against his cheek. "I think you feel more than you'll ever admit… Maybe you're scared, or maybe you wish you didn't, but there's a reason a Chaos Demon spends so much time with an Angel, and it isn't to discuss human love."

"Maybe a different kind of love then…" he muses. "Of the 'transcends death' variety."

Her head tips curiously as she gazes up at him. "Is that what you think this is?"

He stares at her mouth, lips too full of sin for a heart so pure. "Would you let me if I did?"

She smiles. "Would I let you _love _me?"

"Mmhmm."

Her eyes search his face, as if she might find the answers to all of her questions written in the porcelain plains of him, the high arches and the dark hollows, the curved mouth and the raised eyebrows. His eyes are bright, blue and vibrant where they should be grey and cold. She reaches for him, her fingers gently sweeping down the side of his face. His eyes close in answer and a breath leaves him unsteadily, his body soaking in the tenderness of her touch as if it's been starved of it for centuries. He knows sex and seduction and the potent taste of lust, but love always seemed out of reach to him, and he craves it with the voracity of a man who needs hope as much as he fears it.

"What does love mean to you?" she whispers.

He opens his eyes then and rests them on her stubborn chin for the longest moment, and then they trace the length of her arm and the slope of her shoulder, the curve of her neck. She's so small and fragile, so beautiful and strong, like a tiny bird that soars above, letting the wind take her where it will. She is grace and fire and righteous glory if he's ever seen it. And he wants it. He wants her. He's wanted her since before she could see him, since she still breathed the air and walked the earth and demanded its respect. He's wanted her for sixty years and he's never quite know the how or the why until this moment.

"If I said I didn't know, but I _wanted_ to…" His eyes are guileless as they meet hers, sincere like they've rarely been in life or death. "Would you show me?"

Her thumb strokes along his cheek soothingly; where his skin was cold, bereft of heat, Bonnie's was warm, a heat that sunk into him, leaving a trace of her behind that held on hopefully. And then her hand leaves his face and falls gently to her lap. She says no words, but her palm faces up invitingly. He reaches forward and he takes her hand, not like it's spun glass, but like it's his companion in all ways. Their fingers fold together, united, and when she looks over at him from the corner of her eyes, her mouth curves up happily. He can feel the wind of her wings moving and mirrors her expression.

Across the street, Caroline gathers her courage and knocks on Stefan's door to ask him on a date.

And so love begins.

* * *

**author's note**:_ that was fun! ;) _

_i have more of amazonia coming up soon, i just finished this sooner and really wanted to put it up, lest i forget about it. _

_i hope you enjoyed it! thank you for reading!_

-** lee | fina**


	4. friends with benefits

**rating**: pg-13/teen  
**pairing**: bonnie/damon  
**summary**: (post 1994) Damon and Bonnie are in a friends with benefits relationship, but one of them wants it to be something more.

[**_friends with benefits_**]

Damon laid contently in the bed, sheet at his waist, one hand on his chest, fingers tapping absently. "Are you hungry? I'm hungry. You've probably already had your _fill _of Italian." He winked. "But I'm really craving pasta…"

Bonnie ignored him as she shuffled her underwear in place and reached down to grab her jeans, pulling them up and hopping on spot to get them over her legs and hips. She buttoned and zipped them while her eyes scanned the bedroom floor for her top, her brow furrowed tightly. "Have you seen my bra?"

"That would be the lacy black thing I tore into scraps and tossed in the general direction _of…_" He pointed toward the window, where Bonnie let out an exasperated sigh as she spotted her tattered bra hanging from the curtain rung.

"Seriously?" she muttered.

He smirked at her, shrugging unapologetically. "I told you I'd do it."

"Yeah, well, I didn't take your dirty talk _literally_…" Crossing the room, she reached up and took the strap, giving it a yank to pull it down. She looked it over to see if it was salvageable before glaring at Damon and throwing it in the direction of a small garbage can. "You owe me a new one. Those things aren't cheap."

"Now why would I want to buy something that only gets in the way, hm?" He tucked his arms behind his head and arched one eyebrow. "No need to play modest now, Bon-Bon. You let it all hang loose in '94. I don't see why you can't now."

"Things were different then," she muttered, searching around and finally finding her tank top. She pulled it on over her heard and smoothed the wrinkled fabric out across her stomach. Falling to her knees, she dug around under the bed until she found her socks and shoes. Crawling back out, she took a seat on the edge of the bed, pulling on each sock.

"Mm, not really," Damon mused. "We still drink too much, bicker, eat too many pancakes, and then fuck on the nearest surface. I'd say it's _exactly _like 1994..."

"Except it's _not_ 1994, Damon. It's 2012. We're not alone anymore and you're still in love with Elena." Grabbing up her cardigan, she pulled it on and wrapped it around herself tightly. "Look, we both knew what this was when we got into it. We were lonely and angry and _frustrated_. So all of this, this talk about going out for dinner or breakfast or staying over, it needs to stop." She stared at him meaningfully, her brows hiked. "Okay?"

He frowned at her, his lips pinched. "What's the big deal? We used to eat _every _meal together. Maybe I just miss having someone to bug while I eat. Is that too much to ask for? I mean, I think I pay my dues pretty regularly, why can't I have a little Bon-Bon outside of the bedroom too?"

Shaking her head, she rolled her eyes at him, exasperated. "You _know _why."

Damon shook his head negatively. "No. I don't. 'Fraid you'll have to refresh my memory."

"Because if we start hanging out outside of the bedroom, people will ask questions. Like why we're always together, why we spend so much time alone. And let's face it, Elena might be playing oblivious to your feelings right now, but if she finds out you're sleeping with her best friend while still trying to get back together with her, she's going to have that much more ammo for why you _shouldn't _be together." Digging her car keys out from her jeans, she twisted them up in her hands. "It's just easier, okay? No strings, no questions, just… _this_."

"Us, you mean. Just us." He stared at her searchingly. "See, I'm hearing a lot of reasons why we can't be breakfast buddies, Bennett, but I think the real reason is because you're scared."

"_Scared?_" she scoffed. "Really? Of what?" Her arms crossed over her chest defensively and her hip cocked out.

Tossing the sheet off, Damon slid off the bed and walked to her, unabashed at his own nudity. He reached for her, fingers tucked under her chin, and raised it up so their eyes met. "Of me. Of _us_. Of what happens when breakfast is cleared and there's just a whole lot of time to waste… Because, yeah, we're not alone anymore, we're surrounded by a whole world of people, but that doesn't mean that a part of you doesn't wish it could just be us again. Maybe not isolated, maybe not stuck in a such terrible year for fashion, but still just us. Sharing the newspaper and cooking for each other and fighting over who won that last game of Tetris, which, it was me, as usual."

"Because you _cheated_."

His mouth stretched up in a grin. "And you're one of the few people who would call me on it."

Bonnie shook her head. "This doesn't change anything. You still—"

"I think I know myself a little better than you do," he interrupted. "Do I still have feelings for Elena? Sure. Maybe I always will. We have a… complicated history. But she's happier now, not remembering. And I thought that would hurt more, I thought not having her would be the worst feeling I could ever go through. But it's not. If I learned anything when I was in 1994, it was that I can survive without Elena Gilbert. But not having my favorite witch around to fight with… that's a different story." He slid his hand up, palm cupping her cheek. "Don't make this sappy, huh? Just let me take you out to eat. No pancakes, cross my undead heart."

She stared up at him, her brow furrowed. "There's no guarantees this will work. That _we_ will—"

He bent, slanting his mouth over hers, and Bonnie let out a shaky sigh. She lifted up on her toes, a hand pressed to his chest, over his heart, and slid it up over his shoulder to behind his neck. Sexual chemistry didn't mean anything. It made no promises that something could work outside of the bedroom. That they were compatible in a relationship capacity. She knew firsthand that they fought like cats and dogs. But she also knew that they strategized well, they balanced each other out, they respected one another and, despite what it might seem like, they sincerely cared about each other.

Damon's hands skimmed under her shirt, smoothing over her back in soothing circles. He pulled her up so they were chest to chest and slid his hands down, cupping them under her ass and lifting her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist and she panted against his mouth, their parted lips still pressed together.

He stared up at her, bright blue eyes peering into her knowingly. A smirk pulled up one corner of his mouth. "Pasta can wait," he murmured, stripping her top off of her with one hand. "I need an appetizer first."

He turned, dropping her down onto the bed she had spent all too much time in since her return. As she leaned back, her arms holding her up, she watched him slowly strip off her jeans and underwear, taking his time, smoothing his palms over her skin, kneading her thighs and down her calves. There was something soft, something intimate, about seeing his hands move so familiarly across her skin, pausing where she was ticklish, stroking gently, moving over her legs with the type of reverence she'd never quite experienced before. He took one foot in his palm and rolled her sock down, tossing it to the floor before repeating the process with the other, dropping her heels to the very end of the bed when he was finished. He walked his fingertips down from her raised knees, his knuckles dragging along the insides of her thighs as he knelt on the bed and crawled between her legs. He dropped an elbow to the bed, just outside her hip, and bent, pressing a soft, warm kiss just beneath her navel. He followed it up with another, peppering little kisses all over her stomach as he climbed up her body. Bonnie let out a breathy sigh, her fingers gripping the sheet beneath her as she watched his progress.

Maybe they wouldn't work out, maybe one dinner wouldn't really go anywhere, or maybe they would give it a try and it just wouldn't work. But some part of her knew that not trying, not giving it a chance to go somewhere beyond the confines of this bedroom would be a disservice to them both. And yes, maybe that would result in a broken heart. Or maybe it wouldn't.

When he caught one of her hands, folding their fingers together just above her head and pressed a delicate kiss to where her heart thudded loudly beneath her breast, she welcomed the inevitability of chance, and hoped for the best.

* * *

**author's note**: _i'm really not sure what year it is in the TVD world, I just know it's not 2015, so I always think it's 2-3 years in and just use 2012. _

_anyway, i enjoyed writing this. i just really wanted to capture some of damon's snark as it was in my head and this happened. i am working on '**you know i will adore you ('til eternity)**' so i hope to have an update for that out very soon! _

_thanks for reading!_

-** lee | fina**


	5. you make me wanna fall

**genre**: humor/romance  
**ship**: bonnie/damon ; implied caroline/stefan  
**rating**: pg-13/teen  
**prompt**: undercover  
**summary**: When Damon needs Bonnie's help to steal a special grimoire, things don't quite go as planned.

_**underneath it all (you make me wanna fall)  
**_-1/1-

"In retrospect, this was a terrible idea…" he admitted.

Bonnie could feel him squirming around behind her, no doubt wincing as the vervain ropes bit into his wrists. The cellar had a magical suppressor spell on it, making the situation just that much worse.

"This was _your _idea," she grumbled, turning her head to try and see him on the other side of the support beam they were tied to.

"_No_, my idea was that we would _sneak _in. If this is anybody's fault, it's _yours,_" he accused.

"How is this _my _fault?" she exclaimed. "You showed up at my house and said, _and I quote_, 'Put your face on, Bon-Bon, I'm crashing a party and I need a date.' To which_I_, being a good best friend, joined you. If I'd known it would end up like this, I might've rethought my plans. I was going to have a relaxing night. Take-out, a good movie. Instead, I get this. This is _not _what I wanted to do with my Friday."

Damon rolled his eyes, shifting his head side to side as he mock-mimicked her. "Yes, and I also told you to _blend in_. Instead, you showed up in _that._ How is that blending in?"

"It's a _dress_. You said it was a formal party. Was I supposed to wear _jeans?" _

"That is not a dress. That's an attention-getter."

Bonnie scoffed. "Just because _you're _not used to seeing me dressed up or getting hit on–"

"That has nothing to do with it!"

"It has _everything _to do with it."

"_No_, it–"

"Damon, you told the host I was your _wife!_"

"We needed a story. We're undercover," he defended.

"So you went with wife? There were no other options?"

"If you were just my girlfriend, he might think he still had a chance. Wife means you're off the market, so he could go and drool on somebody _else's _date. I just needed him to go away so we could get into the safe and find the grimoire."

"Right, which worked _so _well," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"See, I really think you're missing the point here. _You're _the one who got his attention. I wanted to sneak in under the radar–"

"Are you saying you invited me here because you didn't think I was attractive enough to draw attention?" she asked, affronted.

"What!? _No_. I just didn't think you'd pull out all the stops and show up here looking like that!"

"Looking like _what_, Damon? Spell it out for me here. Because so far as I can tell, you've never complained when Caroline or Elena dressed up. But when _I_ choose to put on a nice dress and do my hair and make-up–"

"Bonnie, you look like you just walked off the cat walk."

"Okay, now you're just being ridiculous. It's just a dress."

"It's not just a dress. It's _you_. _You _look gorgeous. Which somehow, in the span of coming up with this plan, I forgot. Which was stupid, because I see you everyday, and I'm well aware of the effect you have. And still, _still, _I thought somehow we were going to be able to just sneak in and steal away a priceless magical object. See, this is why I need uglier friends. Or lackeys. That's what I really need. People to do my bidding. _Minions_."

Bonnie wasn't sure which part to comment on. The fact that he thought she was gorgeous or that he felt like compelling people to do his dirty work.

Thankfully, however, she didn't have to choose, because the rope around her wrists finally gave after sawing away at it with a bent piece of the hand chain she'd been wearing. Shaking her arms out, she turned herself over onto her knees and quickly untied the ropes binding his wrists together, absently smoothing her thumbs over the sore, raw skin before quickly letting go and pushing up to her feet.

Damon stood too, rubbing at his own wrists and eyeing her uncertainly. "Ready to get out of here? Brandt and _his _minions could show back up any second now. And personally, I don't feel like dying again."

"What about the grimoire?"

He patted the pocket of his jacket. "I got what I came for. I didn't really _need _the whole thing, but I figured you'd want to add to your collection." He held a hand out, smirking. "C'mon… I'll zip us out of here and we can head home, throw The Bodyguard on. If you're nice, I'll make you pancakes…" He wiggled his eyebrows.

Bonnie rolled her eyes, but took his hand anyway. Raising an eyebrow, she said, "Pancakes? Is that any way to treat your wife?"

With a snort, he pulled her close, and they were off, leaving Brandt, the party, and whatever torture was planned for them far behind.

An hour later found them at the boarding house. Bonnie traded in her pretty dress and heels for one of his plaid shirts and a pair of Caroline's yoga pants, which she was pretty sure Damon stole out of Stefan's dresser. Chinese take-out shared between them, she sprawled out on Damon's bed to watch their favorite movie. Eventually, she knew they'd have to deal with whatever spell he needed for whatever reason, but for now, she was happy to forget all about it. Him calling her gorgeous though, she was pretty sure she'd never forget that.

[**end**.]


	6. psycho killer

**rating**: pg-13/teen  
**pairing**: bonnie/damon  
**summary**: "I don't know how many more ways I can tell you that I can't stand the thought of losing you, but I'm going to _keep _saying it until you believe me."

* * *

[_**psycho killer**_]

Damon operates on a scale of extremes. He knows this. She knows this. Anybody who has met him _knows this_. But that doesn't mean Bonnie doesn't think there should be limitations on certain things or boundaries that can't be crossed.

She walks a little faster down the sidewalk, her arms hugged around her waist. His car is around here somewhere, but she's not thinking straight. She's just trying to get as far away from the hospital standing tall behind them as she can.

Damon follows at her heels, watching her, but not inclined to push her to talk to him, as he's probably not going to like what she has to say. Part of her hopes he doesn't ask. Hopes he just lets her fume. But Damon doesn't like it when they fight, so he'll break and push her to just blurt out whatever it is that's bothering her.

Her phone starts ringing shrilly in the pocket of her leather jacket, but she ignores it, lets it go to voice mail even though she knows it's probably Caroline and it will only cause her friend to keep calling until she gets through.

He lasts another minute before he gets defensive. "I did the right thing."

"You almost _killed _him," she bites back, grinding her teeth.

Damon throws his hands up. "He was coming right _at _you, Bonnie. What was I supposed to do? Ask him nicely to _stop?" _

"Not everything has to end in bloodshed, you know? There are others ways to handle our problems."

"I'm sorry, did I miss the memo saying we now live in an alternate world where everybody _isn't _trying to kill us on a weekly basis?" he snarks.

Rolling her eyes, she shakes her head. "I could have handled it. But you didn't _trust_me and now there's a teenage boy in a hospital fighting for his _life_!"

"It wasn't about trust." He reaches for her arm to slow her down and whirls her around to face him. "That teenager was the next Kai in the making. He had psycho written all over him. And he was going to _kill _you, just like the six other witches he killed, all so he could be the next Supreme."

"He's _fifteen_, Damon. Is that who we are now? We're just out here killing kids who don't even know what kind of magic they're messing with."

"I don't care if he was _five_, he was going to _kill _you." Taking her by her shoulders, he barely refrained from shaking her. "Why are we even fighting about this? He's alive. He'll be locked up in the psych ward for the rest of his crazy days, and you bound his magic. Case closed." His brows hike. "We should be celebrating right now. Drinks on me."

"No, Damon, _not _case closed." She pokes a finger at his chest. "You were out of control tonight. You were ready to tear him to pieces and there was nothing I could do. I… I was _scared_."

He flinches, drawing back a step. "Of me?"

"Of the whole situation!" she exclaims. "You've never been like that before. Yes, you're extreme, but half of it is just showmanship. Tonight was different. Tonight… For a second, I didn't know who you were. I didn't know how to stop you. And _that_scares me. Because before, if something happened, if I didn't think what you were doing was right, I _would _stop you. Somehow, whatever it took, I'd stop you. But I_couldn't_. I couldn't do anything. I just watched you tear into him and I– I don't know what that means."

A muscle ticks in his cheek. "He was going to kill you. My only option was to kill him first."

"Was it? Because he's not dead and we survived. So was it really the only choice?"

"When it comes to you? _Yes_." His face seems to harden with his resolve. "I don't care if that's not what you want to hear. I don't care if that makes me a monster. I don't_care _if some fifteen year old kid doesn't get to play with his Pokemon cards tomorrow because that same fifteen year old kid tried to _hurt _you. Do you get that? Because I feel like I'm the only one fully comprehending just how close you came to being dead. _Again_."

"I know–"

"I don't think you do. I think you've died or almost died so many times that it doesn't even faze you anymore. Well, it fazes _me_. It bothers _me_." He stares at her searchingly. "I don't know what you want to hear, Bon. That I won't do it again? Is that it? Because I _will_. I don't care who it is or how old they are, if they come for you, they have to go through me."

The intensity of his expression, of his words, makes her breath catch in her throat.

Gaze falling for a moment, she chews her lip. "I just… Our lives have becomes so focused on surviving and killing anything else that hinders that. Sometimes, I wonder who we're going to be in a few years. What this life is going to turn us into."

"I'm not thinking about down the road, I'm thinking of right now. I'm thinking about the big bads that are hunting us this very second. We can't afford to worry about tomorrow, because there's still enough time left in today to kick our asses." Reaching for her, he tucks his fingers under her chin to raise it, searching out her eyes. "Look… You've sacrificed yourself I don't even _know _how many times. But that's over now. You've got sixty years left in you, and I plan to make sure you live every last one of them."

Her brow furrows as she stares at him and wonders, "_Why?_ You know what happens if I die. You know who you get back."

"I don't know how many more ways I can tell you that I can't stand the thought of losing you, but I'm going to _keep _saying it until you believe me. And I'm going to keep fighting all of the evil little psychopaths that drop by to kill us no matter how much your pesky little human conscious argues different." He smirks sharply then. "So you wanna be mad at me for that, go ahead, but at least you'll be alive to judge me. All right?" He doesn't bother waiting for her, instead dropping his hand from her chin and strolling past her to continue walking down the street.

Bonnie lingers a moment, but eventually turns to follow. She has to hurry to catch up to him, but when she does, she bumps her shoulder against his arm. "I'm not afraid of you," she tells him seriously. "Sometimes… Sometimes I'm afraid _for _you."

Raising an eyebrow, he smiles, and reaches an arm around her shoulders, drawing her up against his side. "The only reason that kid is alive is because I know how much you'd lecture me if I really did kill him. _So_… whether you meant to or not, you still stopped me."

She scoffs. "You're saying you let him live because you didn't want me to be _mad _at you?"

"Exactly. See how well that worked out?"

"_Damon_."

"Look, I'll be the first to admit that, _occasionally_, I get a little out of control…" At her bemused expression, he shrugs. "But you pull me back. In all you witchy, judgy glory."

"I don't pull you back," she insists. "You pull yourself back."

"Maybe," he allows. "Or maybe I just don't like disappointing you."

Staring up at him, she shakes her head. "I stand by what I said, you know? I still believe in you."

"There's hope for me yet, huh?" He hums, smiling to himself a little before he shakes it off. "Well, now that the heart to heart is over with, can we move on? We rid the world of another psycho killer. You know what that deserves?"

Bonnie snorts knowingly. "Alcohol?"

He grins. "You read my mind."

Shaking her head, Bonnie wraps an arm around his waist. "Bourbon at my place?"

"_Our _place."

"You know, if you're going to spend this much time staying over, you should really start paying rent."

"I do. With my sparking personality and my razor sharp wit."

With a roll of her eyes, she replies, "I want a refund."

Damon shakes his head in mock regret. "Too late. You're stuck with me."

Biting her lip to hide her smile, she mutters, "I think we're stuck with each other."

Looking down at her, he half-smiles. "No take-backs."

[**end**.]


	7. sleep talker

**chapter rating**: teen/pg-13  
**word count**: 821  
**prompt**: _things you said when you thought i was asleep_  
**summary**: Damon bares a little soul to a seemingly sleeping Bonnie about why he dessicated himself.

* * *

[**_sleep talker_**]

Damon sits on the coffee table, inches from her, watching as she lays curled up on the couch, a plaid blanket tossed across her small form. There's a cut across her forehead, a bit of his drying blood on her chin, and dark bags under her eyes. She's tired, _exhausted_, and part of this is his fault. He knows this. There's a lot that's his fault, things he's not even sure how to apologize for. And there's a part of him that doesn't think he should have to. That wants to defend his actions, to explain himself, to show he was just trying to do the right thing. _For her_.

He's not sure when so many of his decisions became about saving Bonnie Bennett, but they have, and he doesn't regret that. It's a nice change of pace, really. But it chews at his nerves a little, tells him things he's not sure he's ready to face. Because Damon is a selfish creature for the most part, always has been. He saves people because he loves them, or because they benefit him, or because someone he loves wants him to, and he's afraid that if he doesn't, they won't love him anymore. Fear plays a big part in his life, and it's tied to love far too often for his liking. He's afraid of Bonnie; of losing her and of loving her and of what that means.

He reaches for her, pushing her hair back from her forehead and off her cheek. Her skin is warm under the tips of his fingers, smooth and soft. He lets his knuckles slide down the slope of her neck, where her pulse pumps steadily.

"I missed you," he murmurs.

He remembers the last few moments as he laid in the coffin, when his heart struggled, when his arteries seized, when his skin dried up. Thinking of her, telling himself it was the right thing to do, that she'd forgive him someday, hopefully, maybe. But she was right, he thought of her, of how hurt she was, how she cried for him, how her voice caught, thinking he didn't care enough to stay, to live out her last sixty years with her. And maybe he regretted it as his muscles went rigid and his body shut down, too hungry to move or act or think. Maybe he regretted that was the last time he would see her face. And maybe he was glad, just a little bit, when Stefan woke him up, because now he had a chance to fix it, change it somehow. To make her understand.

There are a lot of things he wants to say, things he's not sure she'll hear, things he's not sure he can tell her to her face, not when she'll dig and question and ask him what he means. So he sits there, so close and so far, and he tells her, "We both know I'm an _idiot_. I don't think anybody would argue that point. But for the record… I did it to protect you." His throat tightens. "I did it because I… I _love _you. And I don't know how or why or _when_, but… I do. But if there's one thing that never changes, it's my track record when it comes to love. I always screw it up. I always… _hurt _the people I really care about. So maybe… Maybe it was stupid. Maybe it was the wrong choice. But… maybe it'll save you in the long run, from all the pain that comes with loving me." He clenches his teeth, staring down at her. "I don't know if that's selfish, Bon. I don't know if that makes me a coward. I just know that you are the _last _person I want to hurt, and it seems like that's all I ever do."

He doesn't know what to say after that, so he says nothing. He just clears his throat and stands from the table. He walks to the cart next to the fire and pours himself a drink. Drowning out his feelings seems like a good idea right about now.

"You're right. You're an _idiot_."

Damon freezes, heart jumping up his throat, and then he turns around, and sees Bonnie staring back at him, very much awake. Forcing a smile, he raises a glass. "Drink? I have a feeling we're going to need one… or six."

She doesn't move or answer, just stares. And he wonders if this is a crossroads for her. She can get up, leave, never speak to him again. She can scream and yell and blow his brain up with aneurysms, and still decide she wants nothing to do with him. Or…

"Is that your good bourbon?"

Relief spreads through him. He smirks, but it's shaky. "Only the best for you, Bon-Bon."

She holds a hand out, and he passes her his glass; an Olive branch, a beginning, a _chance_.


	8. with a view

**chapter rating**: teen/pg-13  
**word count**: 468  
**prompt**: _things you said while we were driving_  
**summary**: "We don't have to go back."

* * *

[**_with a view_**]

"We don't have to stop."

Bonnie looks up from the magazine in her lap and raises an eyebrow at him. Her feet are on the dash, toenails freshly painted, despite his worries that she might spill polish on his upholstery. The windows are down and a nice breeze is kicking her hair up; it feels good, _freeing_.

They put Mystic Falls in the rearview mirror three days ago and with every mile put between her and her hometown, she feels the chains of expectation and sacrifice grow looser. With no destination in mind, they just drive, wherever the open road takes them. They've got a tank full of gas and a need to get away, go somewhere, _anywhere_, that won't throw another freak-of-the-week in their path.

"I don't know about you, but I'm going to need a pit stop within the hour."

He purses his lips at her, rolls his eyes. "We don't have to go _back_," he clarifies.

Laying her magazine down flat, she leans her head back against the seat and turns it toward him. "Is that your way of saying you don't _want _to go back?"

He frowns, turning his gaze out to the road. "You don't get tired of it? The fighting and bloodshed and weekly near-death experiences?"

"Sure," she admits, with a faint shrug. "But I didn't figure you for a quiet life in a cul-de-sac somewhere, playing house-husband."

He grins at her. "You planning on putting a ring on it, Bennett?"

She snorts. "You know what I mean."

"So we skip the cul-de-sac schtick. What's wrong with a penthouse suite with a view? Huh? You can go to school somewhere else, somewhere with a smaller murder-count, and see how life without looming _death _feels."

She stares at his profile, at the way his hands flex nervously on the steering wheel. "It's that what this roadtrip was about? You wanted to convince me to leave Mystic Falls permanently?"

"I'm not sending you away to live a life of boring solitude, Bon-Bon. I'm going _with _you… I don't want you to keep dying on me, sure, but I also don't want you to lose your edge." He smirks. "Gotta keep you on your toes."

Her mouth kicks up, but she bites her lip to hide her amusement. "A penthouse, huh?"

He looks excited then, bright blue eyes flashing. "With a _view_…"

"Of?" she wonders.

He looks over at her, and there's something soft and hopeful and warm about the face he's making, the sincerity of his gaze. "Whatever you want. Say the word."

The whole world is at her fingertips suddenly, and the only thing she can think is that she's glad he's there to see it with her. She's not sure where they'll end up, how far they'll drive, but she's eager to find out.


	9. not exactly

**chapter rating**: teen/pg-13  
**word count**: 260  
**prompt**: _things you said_ _after you kissed me_  
**summary**: "What happened to 'I hate you' and 'stay away from me'?"

* * *

[**_not exactly_**]

Damon's eyes are closed; partly because he thinks if he opens them, she might not be real. This moment might just fizzle away. But he can hear her heart and her fingers are curled around the nape of his neck and he can feel her breath panting against his lips.

"What happened to 'I hate you' and 'stay away from me'?" he wonders. And he wants to eat his words as soon as they leave him, because yes, he nearly died, and yes, she kissed him, but there's a chance she forgot, for just a second, that she hated his guts, and he's not sure he wants her to remember.

But then her thumb is gently grazing his cheek, and when he opens his eyes, she's looking up at him, tears still clinging to the ends of her lashes and lipstick smudged from a kiss he hadn't expected but wasn't regretting, not even kind of.

"I lied," she murmurs.

Damon lets out a shaky breath. "So I'm forgiven?"

Her eyebrow arches, and she snorts. "Not completely."

A smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth. "But you don't hate me?"

She chew her lip and whispers, "Not exactly."

And it's not 'I love you' or 'I cant live without you,' not in so many words, but for them, it might as well be. So he kisses her this time, arms wound tight around her.

"I'll make it up to you," he says, in between each slant of their mouths.

Bonnie huffs, arms around his neck, and tells him, "You better."


	10. amazonia 3

**chapter rating**: teen/pg-13  
**word count**: 4,381  
**summary**: A deal is offered to the Mikaelsons; Damon and Stefan consider the reality of their situation; and Bonnie and Damon grow a little closer.

* * *

[**_amazonia_**]

**III**.

Damon spent much of his morning with Lucy, occasionally helping out by sparring with some of the girls. It was toss-up between an ego stroke and an ego kick. Some of the girls knocked him on his ass quicker than his pride would like to admit.

Bentley had been following at his heels since breakfast, asking question after question about nothing in particular. He was a chatterbox and he seemed to think Damon was his new sounding board. The only reason he'd been left alone now was because all of his trailing after Damon had knocked him out and he'd decided to join his grandmother in her afternoon nap. Damon, on the other hand, was on his way to see what Stefan was doing, though he had a pretty good idea it had something to do with his new favorite blonde. En route, he spotted Bonnie out of the corner of his eye.

Standing in the orchards, she trailed her fingers over a few choice peaches before wrinkling her nose and moving on to another. He walked over to see what she was doing, his brow furrowed curiously. Since he and the others had arrived the night before, he hadn't seen much of the coven leader. Elena had retreated to her new room, a plate of food Jeremy had made up for her in hand, hoping to wrap her head around her current situation. The library was then locked from everybody else while Bonnie dealt with the aftermath of her sending her witches out to retrieve the doppelgänger and company. Damon was a little worried they'd already worn out their welcome, but when he got close enough for her to notice him, her mouth turned up in a faint smile.

"Peaches not doing it for ya?" he wondered, motioning to the ones she'd touched but hadn't plucked.

"They're not ready yet. Close, but not quite." She cupped her hand under another one and squeezed gently. "They have to be just the right medium between firm and soft, so you know they're juicy but not mushy."

His mouth turned up at the corner. "You're a peach expert now too?"

She laughed under her breath, a husky sound that he enjoyed. "I'm a woman of many talents."

"_Noted_."

With a hum, she finally plucked the peach from its branch, a little spattering of water from the leaves speckled her face. She blinked, long lashes brushing her cheeks, and reached up to swipe away the droplets.

He reached across to her and rubbed a trailing drop from beside her eye. "There," he said. "Peachy keen."

She snorted, shaking her head. "Look at that, a _punny_ vampire…" Turning on her heel, she continued walking through the orchard, her feet bare and her skirt so long it dragged on the grass behind her. "So? What brings you to the orchard, besides the obvious?"

He shrugged, tucking his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Saw you, came to say hi, see how things went last night…"

She looked back at him over her shoulder, weighing the peach in her hand and tossing it to the other absently. "Things went fine. Elena is a nice. Young and naïve, but kind. She's worried about her situation affecting my coven, that we might be taking on more than we chew with the Mikaelsons…"

He hummed, and then peered at her curiously. "Are you?"

Her lips curled up at the edges. "Elijah is level-headed. I have faith he'll see that what Klaus is doing can only end one of two ways."

"Is one of those ways with you and yours ending up the witchy dinner of the hybrids?" he wondered. "Because Lucy said, if trained right, the hybrids could be a real threat."

"Anything trained right can be a threat." She turned on her heel to face him, walking backwards as she stared up at him, her head cocked thoughtfully. "Klaus is building his hybrids for war. That doesn't mean that's what they were intended for."

He raised an eyebrow. "Aren't they just as destructive as what they come from? Vampires and werewolves don't have the best reputation, and most of the witches around here have made it clear that if it wasn't for you inviting us in, they wouldn't have given us the light of day."

Her gaze dropped for a moment. "When it comes to balance, sometimes we can be a little… near sighted." She shrugged her shoulders. "We're supposed to stay neutral, not have any ties to either side. But over time, staying neutral is hard. You see so much, you hear even more, and eventually you start to hate _both_ sides. Some of us are more prejudiced than others; all we've seen is the bad side of each. It's not too often that a vampire comes to us for help in keeping a human alive…" She shook her head. "But maybe this is what we need too; a little help to see the picture more clearly."

"What happens then?" he wondered, swiping a branch out of his face. "We all play nicely?"

Laughing under her breath, she murmured, "If only." She turned around to face forward once more. "If Klaus agrees to stop creating his hybrids, then things return to normal on that front. If we're lucky, he'll explain more about the turning process, how the vampire nature interacts with the werewolf roots. Then our coven will do what it always has, _learn_."

Damon sidled up beside her, peering down at her from the corners of his eyes. "And then we go on our merry way, never to bother you again."

She looked up at him. "Were you planning on bothering me otherwise?"

His lips quirked in a faint smirk. "Maybe. If you wanted me to."

With a huff of a laugh, she took a bite of her peach; juices dribbled down her chin and her tongue swept over her mouth. "I have a feeling you'd flirt with danger no matter how close you came to being set on fire."

His eyes flashed wide and his mouth curled up in a smirk. "Been there, done that, not the worst thing to happen to me."

Shaking her head, she raised an eyebrow. "Befriending vampires doesn't look good when it comes to staying neutral."

"Who said anything about friends? I'd much prefer lovers, if I had it my way."

A soft laugh left her. "At least you're honest."

"Playing coy gets old fast. I'd much rather lay my cards out on the table."

She stopped then, turning to face him, her chin raised. "And if I called your bluff?"

He blinked down at her and then reached forward, rubbing his thumb over her stubborn, damp chin. "When this is over, I'd like to take you out. Somewhere fun, somewhere you don't have to be in charge… Instead, you can let someone else take the lead for once. Even if we never see each other again after that, it'll be worth it…" He skimmed his thumb under the curve of her ample mouth.

Her breath left her slowly, warm as it skittered over his hand. He could hear her heart give a little skip, but before he could comment, there was a noise to their left.

"Miss Bonnie," a girl said, standing with her arms crossed at her back. She was tall and stocky; her cotton-candy blue hair hung braided down her back. Her skin was brown with freckles spattering her face and colorful tattoos covering, seemingly, everything from the neck down. "Klaus Mikaelson is on the phone. He sounds… impatient."

Bonnie took a deep breath then. "Thank you, Drina."

With a short nod, Drina turned on her heel and stalked away. For a second, Damon swore the silver tiger on her shoulder actually moved. Either a trick of the light or the kind of magic that could still surprise him.

"Well, it looks like I have a call to take." Tossing him her peach, Bonnie started back to the house, her shoulders back and her head raised confidently.

Damon watched her go, biting into her peach and humming appreciatively as the juices coated his tongue. He didn't get a guarantee on that date, but he was feeling pretty good about it. Leaving the orchard, he went in search of his brother and the rest of the Scooby Gang. He had a feeling Bonnie would magically muffle her library so he couldn't listen in on her and Klaus' conversation anyway.

* * *

**…**

* * *

Bonnie stared down at the phone a long moment, the doors to the library closing and locking behind her with an unconscious magical push. She felt the muffling wards fall into place; there were too many ears around for her to feel comfortable talking openly. Taking a deep breath, she pressed a hand to her heart and willed it to slow down and steady itself out. When she was sure she was calm, she raised her phone to her ear.

"Klaus," she greeted calmly.

"_Miss Bennett_, what a _pleasure _it is to speak with you again," he exclaimed in reply. "Let's not waste time, hm? I think you have something of mine, something I need back, _immediately_."

She could almost hear him pacing, his agitation clear. "You'll have to be more specific," she answered, her lips pursed.

"Don't play coy, dear. I know you have my doppelgänger. You can keep the rest of her rag tag group, but you'll have Elena Gilbert back in my possession or so help me, I will rain blood down on you and yours before you can say—"

"I think that's enough, brother. Perhaps we should let cooler heads prevail," Elijah's smooth voice intervened. "Please, allow me to speak to Miss Bennett in your stead."

"Tell that _witch_—"

"I know what you want her to hear. Allow me to handle it."

"_Fine_," he growled.

A long pause followed before Elijah asked, "Bonnie, are you still there?"

"I know you can hear me breathing, Elijah," she replied, turning her eyes up in exasperation.

"I can hear your heartbeat too, but it's only polite to ask. I know how you like your human niceties."

"Is it me who likes it, or is it you?" She took a seat at her table and leaned back in her chair. "We've always been honest with each other, let's not start pretending now."

"All right, we'll curb the banter for now," he agreed. "Since we're being honest, you'll tell me the truth… Do you have Elena?"

She paused, for the briefest moment, and then admitted, "I do. I have her and everybody she cares about."

He hummed knowingly. "I assume I wouldn't be wrong in guessing it has something to do with the Salvatore brothers…?"

"They're convincing."

He blew out a heavy sigh then. "Yes. They have the most remarkable ability to gain loyalty. While I can't say I understand it, I've noticed it's rather… _potent_."

"They asked for asylum, Elijah. And they had a very interesting story to tell."

"I'm sure they do…" He paused. "Bonnie, you know you can't hide Elena forever."

"I wasn't planning to."

"_No_?" His tone was heavy with curiosity. It only took him a moment to catch on, however. "_Ah_. I understand. You were hoping to come to some kind of middle ground."

"Is that completely out of the realm of possibility?" she wondered. "What Klaus is doing goes against the natural order."

He laughed then, low and deep, and while Bonnie knew most might shiver in fear or terror, she felt neither. "We are _all _against nature."

She steeled herself, sitting up straight, her shoulders pressed back. "Maybe. But what he's doing goes beyond that and you know it."

"I know no such thing," he argued, affecting an innocent tone. "My brother merely wants a pack, people like him. Where's the harm in that?"

Bristling, Bonnie pushed up from her chair, her lip curled as her temper spiked. "The harm is that your brother is building an _army_! I'm making you this offer out of good faith. Because, regardless of the circumstances, I still consider you an ally. Which is why I'm asking you to meet with me, discuss peace."

"Peace according to you would be what, hm? That he let the girl live? Let her friends and family go on, unharmed?"

"To start with? _Yes_."

"Such a tender heart; the likes of which I've rarely seen."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," she muttered.

"Is it flattery? In a world like ours, a tender heart often ends in misery…"

Bonnie shook her head, letting out a heavy sigh. "Then what better time for you to prove yourself different from all the rest."

He paused for a moment, before admitting, "I can hardly guarantee such an… _amicable _end to this situation, Bonnie. You know Klaus. He doesn't like ultimatums."

"I don't care what he _likes_." Power rippled over her skin with her agitation. "If Klaus continues on the path he is, I'll have no choice." She ground her teeth. "My family has always held yours in high regard. Grams considered you an honorable man. I've always shared that belief. Don't make me do this."

"And if I can't bring Klaus to the table… What then?"

A sliver of ice wound its way down her spine. "You _know_."

"I do," he admitted honestly. "But I want to hear you say it. Show me how serious you are."

Bonnie inhaled deeply and raised her chin. "If Klaus won't see reason… I declare war." Her words seemed to ring with a deathly finality. "And if that means putting him down, I can, and I will."

"If you kill Klaus, you kill them all. Worse, you invite my and my family's wrath…" His voice was steady, but full of warning.

"And I'd regret that. But my job is to keep the balance. If he creates an army of hybrids, he puts this world and everybody in it, my coven included, in danger…" She shook her head. "I know he's your brother, and, despite everything, we've allowed him to go on. But this is the final straw. If he doesn't stop, I will be forced to recognize his hybrids as an act of war." She gritted her teeth. "And I will burn your kingdom to the ground. Do you understand me?"

He didn't reply right away, the tension thick between them, and then he said, "I'll speak to him. Give me time, a few days at least, to convince him. You know how difficult he can be."

"I do."

"I didn't want this, Bonnie. And, while I know how it looks, I don't believe it's what Klaus wants either."

"You've always believed in him too much." She shook her head, her eyes falling closed. "He'll always be your fatal flaw."

"Perhaps. But I would rather die loyal to my brother than with no loyalty at all."

She nodded, despite knowing he couldn't see her. "Talk to him. Convince him this is what's best. You have five days."

"Thank you."

"Of course."

They exchanged goodbyes before Bonnie finally hung up the phone and brushed her hands back through her hair, taking a deep breath and trying to steady both her rapid heartbeat and the way her power seemed to send tiny pulses out. Her hands were shaking a little, so she balled her fingers up into fists and put them to her hips.

The importance of diplomacy had been one of Grams' first lessons and Bonnie had listened raptly. Even now, she had tried her best to keep level-headed. But that didn't change the fact that she was only twenty years old, with a lot of people relying on her. And a very hot-headed hybrid and his protective vampire brother were no small enemy to take on. Elijah was a friend, but that didn't make him any less of a danger. If anything, their ties made him more of a threat. He knew her, he knew how to read her, and she wasn't so sure she wouldn't hesitate if it came to fighting against him. She just hoped it wouldn't reach that; she hoped Klaus, for once in his life, would see reason before it was too late.

Otherwise the Amazonia coven would go to war, and the casualties would be heartbreaking.

* * *

**…**

* * *

Damon hadn't seen her since the afternoon; Bonnie stayed locked up in her library, skipping dinner and ignoring Caroline's worried knocks at her door.

"Do you think it went badly?" Stefan wondered.

Caroline chewed her lip, glancing back at the door and shaking her head. "Whatever it is, she'll figure it out. She always does."

Damon hummed, arms crossed over his chest. "A lot of pressure to put on someone, to always have the answer…"

Caroline's gaze darted toward him. "She's our _leader_. Bonnie is the smartest person I know. She knows what she's doing."

"So what happens if she doesn't? What happens if she makes a deal with Klaus and it backfires? He tears her spine out through her back and dances with it. What then?"

A muscle ticked in her cheek. "Then I feed him his own heart," she snarled, hands balled up into fists.

"I can see why she's the diplomat," he muttered.

Stefan sighed. "_Damon_…"

"I'm just saying…" He held his hands up. "We're expecting _Klaus _to bow to someone else's will. That's not something I'd put money on him ever doing."

"Elijah will keep his brother in line. He's not an _idiot_. Declaring war against us means real bloodshed. We know how to destroy them, _all _of them. We _choose _to keep the balance." Caroline stared up at Damon, and took a step forward, looking far more dangerous than usual. And he remembered her at the cabin, the precise way she fought, the blood on her hands, and the ferocity of her countenance. "Balance is kept for the benefit of everyone, but if it tips too far one way, maybe we get rid of the majority and we rebuild with the few."

He swallowed tightly. "So you wipe out Klaus and Elijah, that only leaves whoever the others _spawned_." He gritted his teeth. "Which means you kill me and every vampire in this house."

"Yeah, it does." She walked past him. "So let's hope Bonnie knows how to talk Elijah and Klaus down."

Damon turned to watch her go, his brow furrowed, and then looked back to Stefan. "Nice girlfriend you've got there. She'll be a real treat at Christmas."

Stefan snorted. "She's worried about her friend. We're asking a lot of people that are basically strangers. They hardly know us and they could be going to war to keep us safe."

He hummed, and turned his gaze toward the door. "Are you saying it's not worth it?" he wondered. "That Elena's life…"

"No." He sighed. "I don't know." Shaking his head, he crossed his arms over his chest and rocked back on his heels. "We came here because we were desperate. Because someone we love, in whatever way we love her, was a walking prisoner. Because if we let this go on, then Klaus would continue to build his army of hybrids and we're not stupid, we could see where that was heading. Klaus at the head of a hybrid army… He's too power-hungry. It wouldn't end with him just having a pack and settling down somewhere. So maybe it isn't just about Elena, even if she's what drove us here. Maybe the whole picture is a lot more important than we first thought. And now we have to trust that the person we came to knows what she's doing."

"I'm not suggesting she's not smart or powerful." Damon pivoted to stare at his brother. "But we know how Klaus operates. If they don't go along with the plan, he _kills _them… Bonnie is operating on the idea that she can convince Elijah and _he _can convince his brother. But what if she's wrong? What if Elijah can't hold back Klaus and he goes for the throat just like he always has? Then Bonnie's blood is on our hands and this whole damn coven is going to be full of grieving, pissed off amazon witches out for blood."

Stefan didn't answer right away, his brow furrowed. "You sound pretty invested in whether or not Bonnie lives through this."

"_So?_" He turned away, glaring at the library door.

"Look, I don't know how this is going to turn out. Best case scenario, she manages to talk Klaus down, we all avoid war, and Elena can go back to some semblance of a normal life. And we go back to doing whatever we were doing before…"

He scoffed. "Right. Because spending the rest of our undead lives fighting every second-rate villain that visits Mystic Falls and desperately trying to keep Elena's head attached to her shoulders is a best case scenario."

"Does that mean you're not fighting anymore?"

"Are _you_?" He turned toward him. "You seem to be getting pretty cozy with Wiccan Barbie. You sure you want to leave?"

Stefan stared back at him a long moment, and then looked away. "We can't stay, Damon. You know that, right? This coven, this… _place_. It's for witches. Witches who keep a balance. Who don't pick sides. Who have to stay neutral in all things… What they're doing for us, it's because it's their duty. Because a human life is at risk and Klaus' hybrids could be a serious threat going forward. But when this is over, we'll be asked to leave, and not come back."

He ground his teeth together, keeping his narrowed gaze on the door.

With a sigh, Stefan turned to leave, getting halfway down the hall before Damon's voice reached him. "You smile more when you're with her… You look _happy_."

A beat passed before he replied, "So do you."

* * *

**…**

* * *

It was after midnight when the lock on the door clicked. Damon pushed off the wall and reached for the handle, sweeping it open and stepping inside. She was sitting on the couch, legs crossed under her, hands on her knees.

The doors closed quietly behind him as he crossed the room. The scent of honey filled the air the closer he got to her. He took a seat on the coffee table in front of her, resting his elbows on his legs as he leaned forward. "Went that well, huh?"

She let out a tiny scoff. "Better than expected, actually."

He hummed, staring at her curiously. "So what's got you so wound up?"

Bonnie leaned back against the cushions and looked up at him. "I'm not an idiot. I know this meeting can go one of two ways. If it goes well, somehow I convince Elijah to either stop his brother or dagger him, maybe even strip Klaus of his power. If it doesn't, Elijah kills me on spot or Klaus sneaks in from behind and makes some stupidly dramatic display of tearing off my head or pulling my heart out. They like to make a spectacle…"

She worried her lip with her teeth, fingers tapping at her knees. "It's not dying that scares me. It _should_, but it doesn't. It's what happens after. It's who might take over and how they'll proceed. I love my coven. I love Caroline and Lucy, but they're fighters. They don't have a head for politics or diplomacy. If I die, they'll light the world on fire to destroy who killed me. And while a part of me is touched, another part of me knows that will only end in more death and chaos…"

"So who's supposed to step up after you?" he wondered.

"No one, currently. I haven't had time to train someone to take up the mantle after me. I've only been leader for two years. I'm still learning the job myself…" She shook her head. "One of the elder witches would step in for a while, until a vote could be taken, but in the mean time, they'll do what they think is right. Caroline will lead a revolt; they'll storm the proverbial castle, take out every hybrid and vampire they meet… Balance will be lost for a while. That's what battle does."

"You're Amazonian though. You were bred for battle, weren't you?"

"To _keep _the balance, not to destroy it… We were meant to stop the vampire and werewolf populations from exploding and destroying mankind in their wake. We interfered to hold the supernatural at bay, to make sure the casualties were limited. But we're human too, a part of us. We still love each other. We're sisters. We grew up learning to protect each other, to watch each other's backs, to support one another against every odd. And yes, we fight and we don't all get along, but we're family. Which means if one of us is killed…"

"Then blood begets blood." He stared at her searchingly. "So what do you do? There's gotta be a way to increase your odds, make sure you won't be knocked off early in the game."

She looked up at him and tapped her fingers over her mouth. "I don't know. That's what I've been asking myself. Why I've been sitting in here for so long…"

"Sounds depressing."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Locking yourself away and worrying about who might off you next. Trust me, we've got someone gunning for us every other week. If I spent all my time worrying about it, I'd be holed up in a bomb shelter instead of living my life."

"Yeah?" She snorted. "What do you suggest then?"

A slow smirk turned his mouth up. "What's your liquor supply like?"

Bonnie shook her head, but a smile edged along her lips. "I'm going to regret this…"

He winked at her. "I promise I'll make it worth your while."

A cabinet across the room unlocked and a bottle of bourbon floated across, hovering at his shoulder before he plucked it from the air. Damon read the label and arched his eyebrows. "Bourbon… And a good year too." He unscrewed the cap, took a swig, and then handed her the bottle. "Cheers."

Bonnie accepted the bottle, took a deep breath, and then followed him over the edge.

* * *

**note**: _sorry for the long wait on this one, it's been sitting half-finished on my computer for a while. hope you enjoyed it! :) please try to leave a review!_


	11. abandoned

**chapter rating**: teen/pg-13  
**word count**: 502  
**summary**: "I'm done missing you and loving you and _hating _you. I'm just _done_."

* * *

[**_abandoned_**]

She visits his coffin while he's dessicating. He can hear her pacing just outside of it, the click of her heels, the quick staccato of her heart, the huff of irritation she gives. Finally, she stops and moves to the coffin, a hand resting on top. She doesn't open it, she just lingers, fingers tapping, and waits. Does she expect him to tap back? His muscles have seized, he can't move, not without blood. But he's awake, he can hear just fine, and he knows it's her.

It's painful to be awake; the hunger is absolute, it nearly blinds him to anything else. Every inch of his body hurts; he sleeps for weeks at a time, but every once in a while, a rat will come close, and the smell of fresh blood will wake him. Usually, he forces himself to ignore it, to fall back asleep, but it's _Bonnie_…

"I don't even know why I'm here," she murmurs, scoffing. "You wanted this. This was your _choice_. You left, and I– I'm so _angry _at you for it. But I just… I miss you. I miss talking to you and fighting with you and just… Why would you do this? I don't get it. I thought you were doing okay. I mean…"

She pushes off the coffin and starts pacing again. "You're the one who said that if anything ever happened to me, you'd lose your mind. So what is this? _Huh? _You're supposed to be my friend. My _best _friend, and you couldn't stick around? You had to leave me? Like _everyone _else!"

Her heart is racing and he can hear the catch in her voice, smell the tears collecting in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks.

"I can't believe I started to trust you." She laughs, hurt and incredulous. "It was never about Elena. It was about _you_. You being selfish and self-serving. It was about _your _broken heart. Not mine, not Stefan's, not anybody else's. Just you doing what you want, what serves you _best_, and fuck everyone else!" She swallows tightly. "Well, I'm done. I'm done missing you and loving you and _hating _you. I'm just _done_. Stay there for all I care." She turns on her heel to march away. "Don't even know why I came here, can't hear a damn thing I'm saying, wouldn't care anyway…"

He listens to her walk away, car roaring to life in the distance, and his fingers jerk painfully. He shouldn't. He knows he shouldn't, but for the first time since he climbed into this godforsaken box, he wants to forget why he did this and get the hell out. But he got in here for what he believes was the right reason. For the first time in a long time, he thought he was doing the selfless thing. The thing that would _save _her and Stefan. So maybe she didn't like his methods, but if it meant keeping her safe, he'd let himself rot in this box for eternity.


	12. team

**chapter rating**: teen/pg-13  
**word count**: 520  
**summary**: "If anyone's going to kill your annoying ass, it's going to be me."

* * *

[**_team_**]

Bonnie answers the phone with a spitting "_Where are you?"_

He smiles, but it's forced. "What, no hello? Telephone etiquette's really gone down hill since I took that vacation."

"You spent three years in a box _dessicating_, the only thing that's changed is how much I want to murder you."

He blinks. "Would you say it's _de_creased or…?"

"_Damon_! Where the hell _are _you?"

Sighing, he tells her, "On the road, headed somewhere far, far away. I left my ruby red slippers in the coffin, so I'm afraid I won't be coming home for a while."

He can practically _hear _her teeth grinding. "Stefan says you're marked… That you transferred it from him to you."

He presses a hand to his chest; he's not bleeding but there's a persistent ache under his skin. "So someone's out to kill me. What's new about that?"

She sighs, loud and heavy, and he can only imagine all the fight leaving her. "Why are you doing this? Not– Not saving Stefan. I understand that. But why are you running away?"

"I thought the homicidal hunter gave it away. I know I climbed into a coffin of my own free will, but I don't _actually _want to die."

"How am I supposed to help you when I have no idea where you are, or if she's caught up?"

"What happened to wanting to murder me, Bon-Bon? Getting soft already?"

"If anyone's going to kill your annoying ass, it's going to be me." She sounds more grumpy than threatening, if he's being honest.

"Love you too, Bon-Bon."

There's a pause then. "Damon… You can't do this alone."

"Sure I can. If I'm on my own, there's less casualties to worry about. You know how much I value human life…"

She snorts. "Yeah, you're a real humanitarian."

He grins. "Look, I'll be fine. I needed a good road trip."

Her voice turns hard then. "Turn around."

He sighs, shaking his head. "I told you–'

"We work better together. We're a _team._ I might want to kick your ass myself, but I'm not letting you _die_. Now either come back for me or I'll find you. One way or another, we're fighting this together."

Damon stares out at the road a long second. There's a part of him that wants to argue, to hang up, to tell her no, but a larger part misses her. Abruptly, he whips his car around to face the opposite direction on the highway. "So you _do _still love me…" he half-jokes.

"More than I should," she mutters, and then there's the noise of a trunk snapping closed. "I'll meet you half-way, we'll leave my car somewhere and take yours."

He swallows tightly, a hand flexing on the steering wheel. "You sure about this?"

"We have a lot we need to talk about, a lot you need to explain, and you're going to…" She sighs. "Look, after everything we've been through, and _survived_, our chances are better together. So, you're stuck with me, Damon."

His mouth hitches up in a faint smile, and relief courses through him. "Glad to have you back."


	13. forgive me not

**chapter rating**: pg  
**word count**: 98  
**summary**: "You've at _least _gotta admire my tenacity, right…?"

* * *

[_**forgive me not**_]

"What the _hell_, Damon?!"

He grins at her from where he's sitting, and spreads his arms out wide. Every surface of the room is dressed in flowers. "Bought out the whole shop. So, odds are _pretty_ high I finally got it right."

Rolling her eyes, she crosses her arms over her chest. "What's next, every coffee bean in the _state?" _

His eyes narrow and his head cocks. "Is that a _hint_, Bon-Bon?"

Stomping past him, she mutters scathingly under her breath.

"You've at _least _gotta admire my tenacity, right…?" A door slams. Damon shrugs. "Grudging admiration works too."


	14. welcome home

**chapter rating**: pg-13  
**word count**: 5,370  
**summary**: "Bonnie wasn't just my friend, Elena…"

* * *

[**_welcome home_**]

Elena opens her eyes sixty-four years after she closed them. She awakens to an unfamiliar face, inside a casket tucked in the back end of a semi-truck. The man, who can't be much older than her, holds out a hand and introduces himself as Malcolm Lockwood, Tyler's grandson. It's a reminder that life is going to be strange and unfamiliar for a while yet. That settles in her gut like a cold weight.

She takes a deep breath as she steps out of the semi truck, blinking at the bright sun beating down on her. The spell Kai had cast kept her young, unchanged, and completely healthy. She looks to Malcolm, who has his grandfather's smile, and has so many questions. "Where are we?"

"Chicago," he answers. "The way the old man told it, Mystic Falls got too dangerous, so you were moved out here, to keep you safe. It's kind of a family duty, to watch out for you. We, uh, we got the call about an hour ago, about Bonnie…"

She nods, biting down on her lip. It's not that she _expected _certain people to be here. Not exactly. She knows what it means that she's alive. That Bonnie must've died. So it makes sense that they're there with her; she gets that. It's just a little jarring, to wake up to someone she doesn't know and a world sixty years different.

"You must be hungry," Malcolm says. "We can stop and get something to eat on the way to Mystic Falls. Sound good?"

She nods, hugging her arms around herself.

He smiles gently. "You've probably got a few questions too…"

"A _ton_," she says, with a laugh.

"I'll answer what I can."

Twenty minutes later, they sit down at a diner, and Elena realizes just how hungry she is. She fills up on fries and a cheeseburger and a thick, chocolate milkshake, before dusting her hands on her napkin and looking to Malcolm. "So… Your grandfather…?"

"Tyler, yeah. He, uh, he passed away a couple years back."

Elena's heart lurches. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. He was ready to go." He shrugs. "He had a good life. I've got two uncles and an aunt to show for it."

"Four kids, _wow_. It's weird, I guess I never really thought about Tyler as a _dad_."

Malcolm laughs. "According to my dad, he was a great one."

"Good. That's… I'm glad to hear that."

"Yeah." Malcolm sips at his Coke a moment and then drops the cup back to the table. "So? What do you wanna know?"

She decides not to ask him too much about home. He's young, and she doesn't expect him to be in touch with her original group of friends. Tyler clearly moved away and stayed away, which… she gets. It's a smart move. And obviously one that worked in his favor if he was able to make a life and a family. So she sticks to obvious questions, like what year it is and how much the world has changed. Who's the president; is the world still unaware of the supernatural; any flying cars yet?

The conversation flows over into the car as they make their way toward Mystic Falls. She's nervous, but she isn't sure why. Sure, it's been sixty-plus years, but these are her friends. Suddenly, she thinks of Jeremy. Wonders if he finished art school. If he made a name for himself somewhere, far away from the chaos of the supernatural world. If he had a wife and children and grandchildren. Does she have family out there? Her chest aches with hope.

It's not a short drive, from Chicago to Mystic Falls, but Malcolm is a pleasant driving partner. He keeps the conversation flowing and, when there's nothing to say, he finds a good music station. Even that's changed. The makeup of the car, the way music is transmitted, the music itself. She picks at her bottom lip as she stares out the window and wonders how she'll adapt to this new world.

_Damon will help her_. She knows this. A warm feeling runs over her, followed quickly by a cold sensation. As much as she wants to focus on the fact that she's back and there's so much for her to do and see, she can't ignore the fact that the only reason she's here is because Bonnie isn't. Her best friend – _Damon's _best friend – is _gone_.

How much is a hello worth compared to a goodbye?

By the time they get to Mystic Falls, the sun is setting, casting the town in a pretty pink and yellow glow. It looks much like it used to, the cars more modern and the people unfamiliar. But the streets are the same and Mystic Grille is somehow, despite everything, still in tact.

"There was a big vampire take-over a long time ago. Nearly wiped the town off the map," Malcolm tells her. "But they managed to clean it up again. Uncle Matt said he just about torched the place just to get rid of the infestation. But Caroline says he was just in a bad place. I guess he lost a girlfriend or something. Anyway, Care said they cleaned the place up and restored it to its former glory. Or as close to."

"Uncle Matt," she repeats, mouth upturned faintly.

"He, uh, he's still alive. He lives out in Tennessee. Caroline will have his number. He's got a couple sons, a few more grandkids too."

She was briefly overwhelmed. It was so strange to think of them older, with families.

"Caroline still lives here?" she asks, to distract herself.

"Yeah, her and Stefan live at the boarding house. It'll be packed soon, considering…" He glances at her, mouth turned down, and then looks back to the road.

"You knew Bonnie?" she asks softly. "I mean, not just from Tyler's stories, or…"

"Grandpa talked about her a lot. She'd help out with the pack when she could. And we came out a few times, to help when there were… _problems_. There's still the odd supernatural throw-down out here. It's kind of a hotspot."

"Yeah," she scoffs. "You can say that again…"

"She was nice. Bonnie. Powerful, too." They were pulling into the boarding house driveway then. "Grandpa always said how strange it was. A witch-hunter hybrid hunting down vampires _with _a vampire. But they made it work, I guess… Mom thought it was romantic." He rolls his eyes. "Guess it says a lot, tying your life to someone, willing to die when they do."

Elena's brows furrowed, questions at the tip of her tongue. But then the door opens and Caroline is stepping outside. Her eyes are red-rimmed and puffy, and her smile trembles.

Pushing the car door open, Elena climbs out, and crosses the space between them in a few long strides.

"Hey!" Caroline laugh-cries and buries her face against Elena's shoulder as they hug, squeezing her tightly. "She's gone," she whispers, shuddering for breath. "She's_gone_…"

Tears spring to Elena's eyes as she rubs Caroline's back. There's not a lot she can say, so she doesn't say anything at all.

They stand like that for a few minutes, just holding onto each other, and then Caroline steps back, wipes her face, and forces a cheery smile.

"You're here," she says, sniffling. "It's good to see you!"

"Yeah." Elena half-smiles. "Not the best circumstances, but…"

Swiping at a few more loose tears, Caroline moves out of the doorway. "Stefan's in the den. He, uh… He's not doing so good, but… I don't know, maybe seeing you will help."

Elena steps inside, but pauses to look back. Caroline is gathering Malcolm up into a tight hug. He rubs her shoulder as he soothes her when she breaks down crying again.

Wringing her hands, Elena makes her way toward the den. Stefan is standing by the fire, a glass of bourbon in one hand, his head down. The curtains are drawn, leaving the room dark. She takes a step inside, and freezes when his head lifts.

"Elena," he says, and stares at her a long moment.

She moves across the room slowly, taking a deep breath as she does. "It's been a while," she says, and wants to sigh at how awkward she sounds.

A faint smile upturns his mouth. "Yeah. It has." He reaches for her, and pulls her into a hug.

Closing her eyes, she buries her face against his chest and hugs her arms around his waist. She holds on for a while, just breathing him in, before he finally pulls back and she leans away.

"So… _Bonnie_…?"

"Yeah." He swallows tightly. "It, uh… We weren't expecting it… There was…" He closes his eyes for a moment and shakes his head. "A long time ago, she, uh, she kind of took over this hunter's last life. It's… _complicated_. But, she became a hunter herself. Of vampires. And she did a pretty good job, actually. But, uh, you can't kill that many vampires without getting a reputation. People had come for her before. She always handled it. But …" He shifts, his hands tucked in his pockets. "This time was different. There was no healing from it."

Elena nods, her arms wrapped tight around herself. "But… Before that. She had a good life? A _long _life?"

Stefan stares at her a long moment. "She was happy. She spent a lot of time on the road, seeing the world." He motions with his hand, his brows hiked. "_Terrible _at guitar, but she picked up the piano pretty quick. _Dominated _karaoke night. Don't tell Caroline I said that, though."

Elena laughs.

Stefan smiles faintly. "Yeah. She… She loved her life."

"_Good_."

Hesitating for a moment, Stefan finally says, "Elena… There's something you should know…"

A noise catches their attention then, and they turn to see a young woman stepping into the room. Brown skin, curly dark hair, and blue eyes.

"Mahayla…" Stefan turns toward her, an arm outstretched. Crossing the room, she takes his hand, and lets him pull her into a side-hug. "This is Elena Gilbert," he introduces, and then turns to Elena. "Mahayla is Bonnie's daughter."

Elena's eyes widen. "_Oh!_ Wow. Uh, _hi!_"

Mahayla stares at her a beat and then nods. "Hey." She turns to Stefan then. "He doesn't have long. And he's asking for you."

Stefan's throat bobs. He nods jerkily, and then presses a kiss to her forehead. Rubbing a hand over her back, he tells her, "Caroline's out front. She's probably fussing over Malcolm. Why don't you go save him?"

A shadow of a smile pulls at her lips, and she nods. Untangling from him, she moves toward the door.

"Mahayla," Elena says, turning toward her.

The girl pivots to face her, and there's something about the cupid's bow of her lips and the shape of her face that just _scream _Bonnie. It makes her throat tighten. "I… I'm sorry. About your mom. She… She was my best friend."

Mahayla nods, and crosses her arms loosely over her stomach. "She talked about you sometimes… She missed you."

Elena blinks back the burn of tears. "I missed her too."

Gaze dropping to the floor then, Mahayla turns and makes her way out into the hall and toward the front door.

Elena can just barely hear her call out, "Hey, Aunt Caroline…" before Mahayla's voice is too far away to hear.

Turning back to Stefan, she says, "You were telling me something…?"

"Right. You know what, maybe it's easier to show you." Stefan turns on his heel and walks to the door leading out into the hall, and Elena follows. They climb the stairs to the second floor before coming to a stop in front of Damon's bedroom door.

Elena feels her heart squeeze. "Stefan?"

His hand is on the handle, but he hasn't turned it yet. "When Bonnie transitioned to become a hunter, she couldn't just take Reyna's last life. She needed someone to bind herself to. Bonnie was dying, and this was her only chance. So Damon offered himself. For as long as he lived, so would she. It was the ultimate loophole… Bonnie never aged. She just had a calling, to hunt down vampires, so her and Damon took to the road… But the link goes both ways. When Bonnie was stabbed, they hit her heart. She died this morning, with her friends and her daughter and her husband by her side… But Damon's dying, Elena. And there's nothing we can do to change that."

"But he can't just _die_. I… I only just got _back!"_

Stefan looks toward her, pity in his eyes. "At least you get to say goodbye."

He pushes the door open then, and steps inside. Even without her vampire senses, Elena can smell death on the air. She hesitates, but only for a moment, and then she's there, with them. Damon is laid out in bed, blanket and sheet drawn up to his chest. He's still just as young as he was when she last saw him, but he's pale and clammy now, the skin around his neck and down his arms is dessicating. Veins are rippling and climbing, threatening to consume him whole.

"Looks like Sleeping Beauty finally woke up," Damon says with a half-hearted, and laboured, laugh.

She presses a hand to her mouth as her eyes burn.

"Mahayla said you wanted to see me." Stefan draws Damon's glossy eyes in his direction.

"Not much longer now, brother. Figure it was better for you to be here than brooding somewhere else."

Stefan's jaw ticks and his gaze drops away.

"Come on… Don't tell me you haven't thought about death bed confessions and last words before… This is where we lay it all out, one final hurrah."

Stefan crosses his arms over his chest. "This isn't funny."

Damon's brows arch. "Who's laughing?"

Taking a deep breath, Stefan walks to the chair next to the bed and drags it over. "You had a good run…"

"I had a _great _run," Damon corrects, smiling. "Sure, there were a few slips along the way. A few _bodies _I should apologize for… Like Lexi."

Stefan's eyes raise abruptly to meet Damon's.

"I messed up. _Big _time." He shakes his head. "Lexi's just the cherry on top of that cake. But I regret it. Can't remember if I ever told you that… She didn't deserve what I did to her. A lot of people didn't." He lets out a huff of a laugh. "Even now, I've got Bon-Bon's judgy little voice in my ear, telling me to be better, to take responsibility,_blah, blah, blah_…" He closes his eyes for a moment, and just breathes. "Twelve hours and I already miss it."

Stefan leans forward in his seat, reaches out and wraps a hand around Damon's wrist. "Is this you asking for forgiveness, brother?"

Damon's eyes open and turn to Stefan once more. "Maybe… You think you'd give it to me if I really meant it?"

Stefan stares back at him. "Think I forgave you a long time ago… You've messed up a lot, Damon. I won't deny that. But you've made amends too. The person you became, that you grew into… These last sixty years… You were a _good _brother."

Swallowing tightly, Damon offers a tremulous smile. "I hope someone recorded that."

He snorts.

Damon's gaze wanders back toward Elena, and then returns to Stefan. "You should get Blondie. Bring Mahayla back. I, uh, I just need a minute, but…"

"Okay." Nodding, Stefan stands from the chair. As he passes Elena, he squeezes her shoulder reassuringly, and then closes the door behind him.

Elena stares at Damon, her hands rubbing up and down her arms, and then she circles the bed to take the chair Stefan left behind. In an attempt to sound light, she tells him, "Gotta say… This wasn't the reunion I was hoping for…"

He half-smiles, and reaches a hand out for her to take. "You were asleep for a lot of this story… It's gotta be pretty confusing."

"Just a little. Stefan said you bound your life to Bonnie's…" She stares at him searchingly. "Part of me wants to ask why, and another part just wants to thank you, for giving her the life she deserved. You could've had me back, sixty years earlier, but you helped your best friend instead." Her brow furrows. "But Damon, you had to know… If you were bound to her in life and death that, when she died…"

"I'd never see you again."

She nods, her throat tight. "I knew you were loyal to your friends, but this…"

"Bonnie wasn't just my friend, Elena…" His eyes are gentle as his thumb strokes across her knuckles. "I loved her. I still do…" His brow knits. "I tried dessicating. I tried waiting for you. And three years later, I was out of that box, faced with an angry witch who hated my guts." He huffs a laugh.

Elena can imagine it. It takes a lot to light Bonnie's fuse, but when it's lit, it's hard to snuff.

"And I couldn't… I thought that was the worst feeling in the world, until I realized she was dying… _again_… I realized I could live with her hating me, as long as she was alive…"

Elena's lips purse. "I'm not saying it was the _wrong _decision. I just… I don't understand why there isn't something we could do. Someone we could talk to. That can _fix _this."

"We _were _the loophole. There's no more second chances. And I don't want to spend my last hours chasing windmills."

"_Why?_" Her breath catches. "Why not chase every one of them for one more chance? One more day? One more year, here, with me."

His thumb rubs atop her hand. "I really loved you," he says. "I mean, crazy, passionate, _lethal _loved you… And sixty years ago, I would've burned the whole world to ash for one more _second _with you…"

Sjhe squeezes his fingers tightly. "So do it!"

"Elena…" he says softly. "No."

She shakes her head. "Why?"

There's a knock at the door, before it opens, and then Mahayla, Stefan, and Caroline step inside. Suddenly the room feels so small and crowded. Elena doesn't realize she's crying until she's wiping at her cheeks.

Mahayla crawls across the bed and lays down at Damon's side, her head on his shoulder and her hand over his heart.

His fingers slip from Elena's as he lifts his hand to lay over Mahayla's. He kisses the top of her curly hair and wraps his arm around her shoulders.

"It's not fair," Mahayla whispers. "I just lost mom. I don't want to lose you too."

"It's probably better this way, Kid. We all know what I'm like without your mom around."

She sniffs. "A homicidal asshole?"

His mouth ticks up. "Watch your language… but yeah."

Her fingers press down and ball up the fabric of his shirt into her palm. "I don't want to say goodbye," she cries. "_Dad_. Please don't make me say goodbye."

Damon closes his eyes, but a stray tear leaks out. "You remember that song your mom and me used to sing when you were a kid?"

Sniffling, she turns her head up, chin balanced on his chest. "I'm not singing '_Whatta man' _to you."

He chuckles. "I raised you on the classics. But no, not that one…"

Her brow furrows.

Damon smiles before singing, a little wobbly, "_From your head down to your toes… You're not much, goodness knows… But you're so precious to me, sweet as can be, baby of mine…_"

Mahayla's mouth trembles, and she closes her eyes.

He cups the back of her head and draws her close to kiss her forehead. "One more time, for the road… What are the rules?"

Mahayla sniffles. "Mom's rules or your rules?"

"Surprise me."

"Mom says not to kill anyone unless they try to kill me first… but you say to stake first, ask questions later…"

"Right, 'cause the only good vampires–"

"–are family."

"Mmhmm."

"Don't use my powers in the house."

"Unless…?"

"Unless dad's being lazy. Which is _always_." She sighs. "Never invite anybody inside. Especially Enzo."

He hums. "I love that rule."

"It's okay to hide Caroline's day planner if she's being crazy."

"_Hey!_" Caroline complained.

"Don't play with werewolves or you'll get fleas."

"_I heard that!_" Malcolm's voice traveled up from below.

"Homework before dating."

"_Ah!_"

"Except I can't date until I'm fifty." Mahayla snorts. "Broke that rule…"

Damon's mouth screws up with distaste.

Mahayla smiles at him. "And always say 'I love you' before you leave. And before bed. And every chance you get."

Damon taps her nose affectionately. "Good girl."

Her smile slips as she notices the veins crawling across his chin.

"Not long, huh?" He nods, and then directs his gaze toward Stefan and Caroline. "Looks like it's the end of the road, kids. Carebear, you were by_ far_… the best sister-in-law I could ask for… Take care of him."

Wiping at her cheek, she nods. "I will."

"Stefan… Take care of my kid. Or I will _haunt _you."

His mouth flicks up faintly. "Promise."

Finally, Damon looks to Elena, who sits, shell shocked in her seat, her mouth agape.

"I'm sorry, that this wasn't what you were hoping for… I made a lot of promises when you went into that casket, and I only managed to keep half of them. But Bonnie had a great life. And a long one. She was loved. And I don't regret one second that I had with her."

Elena nods, jerkily, and wipes her hands over her face.

Finally, he returns his gaze to Mahayla. "Every chance you get," he tells her.

Gripping his hand, she whispers, "I love you, daddy."

And he smiles. "I love you too."

His eyes go dim then. His skin turns grey and the dark veins of death mottle his face.

Mahayla sobs, her head falling to his chest.

Caroline turns, her hand sliding into Stefan's hair as she draws him in for a hug, his head cradled in her shoulder. And Elena sits, confused and hurt and desperately wishing it was all a dream. A _nightmare_. Because sixty years have passed, and she's woken up to find the love of her life fell for her best friend. Had a _child _with her. And tied his life to hers, willing to die, all the while expecting never to see Elena again.

Minutes pass before Stefan lifts a crying Mahayla from her father and carries her out of the room. Elena jerks in surprise as Caroline's hand lands atop her shoulder.

She looks up, her eyes wide and damp and confused.

"You must have a lot of questions…" Caroline smiles sympathetically. "Come on… I'll make tea, we can talk, and…" Her eyes dart to Damon and back. But she doesn't say it, doesn't voice the fact that he's gone and his body will need to be removed.

Elena stands from her chair with wobbly legs. She follows Caroline out in a daze, her mind a blank space.

Sitting at the table in the kitchen, she watches Caroline bustle around, preparing a pot of tea.

"It must be strange for you, all of this… For us, they've been together for so long, it's… _normal_." She offers a vague smile. "After Damon linked his life to Bonnie's, and she took over Reyna's whole hunter _thing_, they went on the road. Bonnie was still mad at him. He'd dessicated for three years and she felt abandoned. But he convinced her to let him tag along, said it was smart if they stuck together. That way if one of them got hurt, the other could help… I don't know if she really believed him, but she let him go along. She and Enzo were dating back then, but… The writing was on the wall. I mean, I think Bonnie had feelings for him since the prison world. She was just denying them. And when he dessicated, it hurt. _A lot_. She loved Enzo, but… It wasn't he same. So her and Enzo fell apart, and she and Damon… It took some time. But they worked through it and… I don't know. You don't tie your life to someone unless you _really _care about them…"

"How long?" Elena wonders, her voice thick. "How long after I…?"

"It was maybe six months before he dessicated. Three years before he came back… Two on the road before her and Enzo broke up… It happened at some point after that. She was always kind of vague on the details. Private. But one day, they came back, and they were just… _together_. You could tell. The didn't even have to say anything. It was just… how he looked at her. How she looked at him. That intimacy that comes with knowing somebody completely…"

Her gaze fell to the counter. "They built a life. Hunting vampires… And then they'd come home for a while, like a vacation or something. She'd bring all these pictures, of all the places they'd been. And souvenirs, for me and Stefan… And then things changed, about eighteen years ago. Bonnie was pregnant. Valerie said it had something to do with the bond, that because Bonnie was alive and she was linked to Damon, that he was closer to alive than dead. I don't know. I'm just happy it happened. Mahayla is… She's amazing. She's smart and funny and loyal and just… the best parts of Bonnie, _and _Damon."

She pulls out a couple mugs then and takes the tea pot off the stove. "They tried to slow down after she was born. Spend more time at home. There's this… _drive _that comes from being the hunter. It's hard to focus on anything else, but… You know Bonnie. She's strong. So they came home and they raised her here, with us. And when she'd have to go, Damon would go with her, and Mahayla would stay with me and Stefan." She tries to smile, but it falls quickly. "It's gonna be hard on her… Losing both of them. She's so young and we thought… Because Damon's a vampire, they'd have longer… _Centuries_. You know?"

"Yeah," Elena rasps.

Caroline flinches. "I'm sorry. This must be so hard. You– You were in love with him. You _are _in love with him." She pours their tea and circles around to pass Elena her mug. "He didn't do it to hurt you. Neither of them did. Bonnie… I don't think she ever expected him to love her like she loved him. Which is funny, because… He loved her so much."

Elena stares down into her tea. "They were happy?"

"Yeah." Caroline's voice is soft, gentle. "I'm sorry, Elena. That you didn't get to say goodbye to her… That you had to say goodbye to him…"

She nods. "Me too."

Reaching out, Caroline drops her hand over Elena's and squeezes. "You'll get through this. You'll have me and Stefan and… Matt lives up in Tennessee. I'm sure he'd love to see you. And Jeremy! He stopped hunting a while back. He settled down in New York. He's got a wife and two daughters and four grandkids." She smiles. "You have nieces! Oh! That reminds me. My daughters, Josie and Lizzie, they'll be coming up for the funeral." She waves her hands. "That's a whole other story. But they'll be bringing their kids too. So you'll get to meet them. It'll be nice, to have the house full again. It gets so quiet around here sometimes…"

Elena nods, but her mind feels distant. Her brother was hunting, for _decades_. Everybody has kids and grandkids. And then there's her, separated from all of it, unaware of names or history or who belongs to whom. Were the kids Stefan's? Both loves of her life had partnered up with her best friends, had children, had lives, and she wasn't a part of it. She'd been gone for all of it. Sixty years away, and she felt like an outsider looking in. A stranger.

"I need some air," Elena says, standing abruptly from the table.

"Oh. Okay." Caroline watches her leave, and Elena swears she can taste the pity on the air.

She walks out into the backyard and finds a seat on a bench. The sun has set and it's only the flood lights that let her see beyond her feet. Before, when she was a vampire, she would've run off into the woods, run as far as she could get. Until she found someone to bury her sorrows in, teeth first, maybe flip her switch just to escape this hollow feeling eating her whole.

It could be minutes or hours, but eventually, Stefan takes a seat beside her.

"It wasn't easier," she tells him. "Seeing it. It wasn't easier."

He nods, and waits patiently, hands clasped in his lap.

"I'm angry. And I have no one to direct it at. No one to _yell _at. A part of me gets it. They loved each other and sixty years is a _long _time. I told him not to wait, I know that. But…"

"But you thought he would?"

"I didn't think he would fall in _love_. I didn't think he would get married and have a family and just… _forget_ me."

"He never forgot… Damon's had three great loves in his life. You, Katherine, and Bonnie."

She groans. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? That even if he loved Bonnie, he loved me too."

"Look, I'm not the right person to talk to about the intricacies of your relationship with Damon. I'm probably biased. But I know it wasn't easy for him to let you go. It was never about hurting you. It was about healing. About… growing up and becoming the best version of himself."

"Why couldn't he do that with _me? _Why couldn't he _wait? _Why couldn't he fight to live?_For me?"_

"You want me to be honest?"

"_Yes!_" she cries, but she regrets it, wants to take it back and eat her words. Because no, no she doesn't want his honesty. Not if it's going to hurt her.

"You weren't healthy for each other, Elena. I can make a list of all the ways you influenced each other, made each other worse, sacrificed everyone else around you… But I won't. Because you loved him and you're grieving and all you really want to hear right now is that he loved you. And he did. He loved you. Sixty years ago, you were his entire world. And then he grew up and learned from his mistakes and became a better person. A less selfish person. And he fell in love with his _best friend_. He had a beautiful daughter and a great life and he was _happy_. I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth."

Her hand cradles her throat as her heart crawls up inside it and _burns_. "This wasn't how it was supposed to be."

Stefan sighs. He reaches over and presses a hand to her shoulder. "But it is."

A minute passes before he stands and makes his way inside.

Elena can hear Caroline fussing over him.

"Hey… I checked on Mahayla; she's sleeping. And I ordered in some food. You should eat. I heated up some blood for you too. _Here_. Why don't we sit in the den for a while, okay? If you wanna talk, we'll talk. If not… that's okay too."

As they walk away, Elena turns tearful eyes toward the woods. Not for the first time, she wishes Kai Parker never uprooted their lives; that the supernatural never invaded Mystic Falls; that she wasn't born a doppelganger, doomed from the start. But he did, it did, and she was. And now it's sixty years into the future, everything she knows is different, and she has no idea where to go from here.

Head falling back, she stares up at the night sky, lit brightly with stars. Slowly, traveling across her vision, she sees a comet. And suddenly, she laughs. She laughs and laughs until all she can do is cry.

_Welcome home, Elena Gilbert._


	15. story time

**chapter rating**: pg-13  
**word count**: 533  
**summary**: Damon's daughter has him wrapped around her finger.

* * *

[**_story time_**]

Damon collapsed atop the bed more than a little dramatically, giving a long, attention-demanding groan.

Amused, Bonnie raised an eyebrow. "How many this time?"

He huffed. "Four."

"Four?" She clucked her tongue and put her book away on the beside table. Rolling over onto her stomach, she rested her chin on her upturned hand. "I thought you were going to cap story-time at two?"

"I know. I was. But then she gave me the look." His eyes narrowed and his lips pursed. "I blame Stefan. He's getting back at me, still. Just wait until he and Blondie adopt; I'll get my revenge then."

Bonnie snorted. "She doesn't need a look, Damon. She has you wrapped around her finger. It'd be sweet if I didn't know she'd be cranky getting up tomorrow because you let her talk you into staying up another hour…"

"In my defense, they were educational stories…"

"Really?" Unconvinced, she shook her head. "So there was no reliving your glory days as a badass vampire happening in any of them?"

"Hey, I'm still living my glory days as a badass human… But if there were a few details about a certain vampire and witch taking on a whole hoard of power-sucking witchpires, well, who can blame me? She loves a good action story, especially when it ends in a happy ending for her parents."

"Mmhmm." Bonnie leaned over, her lips curling slowly. "Well, now that you've educated your daughter, why don't you spend a little time with your wife…?"

"I like the sound of that…" He wiggled his eyebrows, smiling as she leaned down to kiss him. He buried a hand at the nape of her neck and leaned up to meet the enthusiastic slant of her lips. Until a few seconds in, when he started yawning.

Bonnie leaned back. "Should I be offended?"

Groaning, he closed his eyes. "Give me fifteen minutes. I'll down a cup of coffee and be right back…"

Before he could roll off the bed, she grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. "Damon, go to sleep, seriously. You can make it up to me in the morning."

He frowned at that, but eventually dropped his head back to the mattress. "Fine. But I'm waking up extra early to reassert my masculinity."

Snorting, she turned over and crawled off the bed.

While Bonnie wrapped her hair and changed for bed, Damon eventually gathered the energy to get up. Having a rambunctious four year old daughter took more out of him than he'd expected, but he wasn't really complaining. He loved his little girl, even when he felt every day of his real age as he dragged his ass to the bathroom for a quick shower.

Twenty minutes later, he crawled in next to Bonnie, sighing tiredly while she switched off the bedside lamp.

Settling down under the covers, she wondered, "So how many times did the witch save this badass vampire's ass in your stories anyway?"

Grinning, he said, "More than he deserved. But I think he made it up to her in the end." Settling down against the pillows, he pulled her in against his side and kissed her temple.

Bonnie smiled. "Yeah, he really did."


	16. one day

**chapter rating**: pg-13  
**word count**: 1,367  
**summary**: "I kind of like you, just the way you are."

* * *

[**_one day_**]

For the record, falling in love with her best friend had never been on Bonnie's to-do list. If she had noticed what was happening, she liked to think she would have done something to avoid it, to stop it in its tracks. There was only heartbreak in her future if she let herself hope for that.

Sixty years, that was what she had ahead of her, if she was lucky. And maybe that would be spent with him, at least in some capacity. But not the way she wanted, not really.

Falling for him didn't make her blind. She was well aware of Damon's numerous flaws, and she never failed to call him out when he needed it. She also knew that, while her feelings might be reciprocated in some way, Damon was a creature of habit. Like Katherine, he believed Elena was the pinnacle of his life, and while he cared about Bonnie, some part of him would always be waiting for the day he was reunited with his "one true love." There was a certain bitterness that welled up inside over that revelation. Despite taking her life in her hands, putting herself first, demanding that her life matter, she was still forever tied to Elena, in every single way she could be, whether she wanted to be or not.

The thing about loving someone she knew would never love her the way she deserved was that there was a choice. She couldn't change her feelings, not really. Only time would help with that. Time and distance. Sixty years wasn't much for a vampire, but it was a lifetime for her, and while she wanted him in her life, she also wanted to be happy. She deserved to be happy. So maybe she would take a few years, or a couple decades, and see the world. Maybe she would leave the supernatural world behind, Damon included, and see what the rest of the world had to offer her. That was where choice came in; stay and suffer or leave and want for more.

Damon found her with her bags packed and waiting at the door.

"Sneaking away in the middle of the night…" he mused. "You know I pegged you as braver than that."

Bonnie sighed, tossing her car keys from one hand to the other. "I was going to call you, after, when I was on the road."

"And what, leave me a message? 'Hey Damon, just going to duck out on you without warning, don't look for me, I'll find you when I feel like it. _Click_.'"

"You're being dramatic."

His mouth twisted up and he glared down at her. "I'm good at it."

Crossing her arms over her chest, she shrugged her shoulders high. "I need a break."

"Great. So _say_ that!" he exclaimed. "I have property in Venice, France, name a place, I've been there, I can show you the best places to stay and eat and party…"

Bonnie grimaced, her eyes falling.

"But you need a break from me too, _right_? Hence the late night packing…"

Swallowing tightly, she blinked quickly. "Don't pretend you don't want distance, Damon… This has been hard on you too. Everything with Elena… It's eating at you. And seeing me every day isn't helping."

He flinched. "I saved you, didn't I? Don't act like I don't want you here."

She nodded, chewing the inside of her cheek. "And now you have to live with that, for sixty years or so…" She licked her lips and shook her head. "I'm not saying you made the wrong choice. Maybe it's selfish of me, I don't care, I deserve to live. I– I deserve to have a _real_ life!"

"One you can't have here," he said knowingly.

"This will always be my home, but this place, how we live, I… I won't last. You know I won't. And it's time I start thinking about that, about what's right for _me_."

He doesn't say it, doesn't put a voice to the question he wants to ask, but she can see it in his eyes, a little brighter now with emotion he'll laugh off or ridicule if she brings attention to it. _What about me?_ he wants to say.

It was funny, she thought, how knowing that someone wasn't right for you, or couldn't give you what you needed, didn't make you love them any less, didn't make you hesitate in reaching out even when you knew you shouldn't. It wasn't her job to soothe him, to comfort him when he felt lost, to be the wall that held him up when he was crumbling. But there she was, willing to be the support pillar.

She reached for him, her hand falling to his forearm and squeezing gently. "It'll go by quick," she reassured. "You've waited longer before; this'll be a cake walk."

He shook his head, his eyes turning up a moment, and then he reached out, his palm cupping her cheek. "Not everything's about Elena," he said, swallowing thickly.

Bonnie smiled faintly. "Yeah… It is."

He didn't argue with her. Instead, his thumb slid down the arch of her nose slowly, and then swept down, under her cheek. She felt it skimming over her ear, and down around the shell of her ear, falling to press just behind it, his fingers tucked at the nape of her neck.

"If I was a better person…" He searched her eyes, and she wondered if that was his, or her, heartbreak she was seeing there. "Maybe I'd deserve you… Bonnie Bennett." His mouth tipped up faintly, shadowed with affection and what ifs.

"I kind of like you, just the way you are," she murmured.

Damon swallowed tightly, his blue eyes watery, and then he leaned in, his forehead kissing hers. "You're gonna do great things, huh…? You'll fall in love with some smart, successful, semi-attractive guy that will love you in ways I can only dream of… You'll live until you're old and wrinkly and grey…" His voice caught and she squeezed her eyes closed. "And the day you're gone, my life will be emptier and lesser for it."

Bonnie's hand trembled as she reached up, pressing her palm to his unbeating heart, fingers curved down.

"I do love you," he said, his voice thick.

"I know." And she did.

His nose skimmed down hers, cool breath skipping over her mouth. "I'd be bad for you. The worst kind of bad. You deserve better than that."

She hummed, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and tipped her head back just a little. He stared down at her, she could feel his gaze even if she refused to meet it. And then there was the whisper of his mouth against hers, like a ghost of what could have been, so close and so far, something she would remember for sixty years, her fingers brushing her lips in a poor imitation of what it felt like. Like smoke, black wisps curling against her mouth, there but gone.

He pressed a kiss to her brow then, bittersweet and lingering, and his last words to her were as much a demand as they were a hope. "Be happy."

She knew when she opened her eyes he would be gone, the front door left open, leaving nothing but her car in sight, waiting for her to fill the trunk and get on with things. So she took a breath and she slowly opened her eyes, to the world as it would be now, to the future waiting to be built. He wouldn't be in it, not for a while, at least. But she could be happy, she could be free and hopeful. She could live her life as she deserved, wholly and without regret.

Her smile trembled, not quite as bright as it could be, but it was there. She gathered up her bags and she walked out the door, saying a silent farewell to her past, to Mystic Falls, to a blue-eyed devil that had crept unexpectedly into her heart. She said goodbye to everything holding her there and she walked away, chin held high. Happy wasn't what she felt, not right then, but she would. _One day_.


	17. new normal

**chapter rating**: pg-13  
**word count**: 1,367  
**summary**: "What the _hell!?_ You need to stop leaving dead bodies in my kitchen."

* * *

[**_new normal_**]

Damon was sitting on her couch. He was sitting on her couch and licking his fingers clean of blood, one leg crossed over the other casually, while Pretty Little Liars played across the TV across from him.

Bonnie blinked, and then sighed as she caught sight of a shoe sticking out from doorway leading into the kitchen. "Damon," she snapped, her hands quick to find her hips.

"What's up, Buttercup?" he replied cheerfully, though his eyes remained on the TV screen.

Striding forward, she jammed her finger against the on/off button on the television and then whirled to glare at him as her hand motioned toward the prone body in view. "What the _hell_!? You need to stop leaving dead bodies in my kitchen."

He shrugged, rolling his eyes. "Think of it like a gift. Cats bring dead mice, I bring you bodies. It's how I show my love."

"Gifts are something people want. And I thought you were on a bagged diet anyway. _This_– This is not okay!"

Sighing, he held up an empty blood bag from where it sat on the cushion beside him. "Calm down. It's not mine. I'm holding it for someone else." At her glare, he snorted. "It's another one of Mother Dearest's."

Bonnie paused, her eyes narrowed. "Okay… and why are your mother's victims piling up in my kitchen, exactly?"

"Because. I need your help."

"Getting rid of her?"

"Eventually. But for right now, I just need help getting rid of the evidence." He grabbed up the remote and angled it around her. "But after. This was just getting good." He patted the seat beside him. "C'mon. Guy's not getting any deader. Come spend some quality time with your bestie."

Rolling her eyes, she blew out an irritated breath but crossed the floor to sit beside him. "For the record, this is the worst way to show your love…"

Grinning at her, he threw an arm around her shoulders and tugged her closer. "So I'll work on it. We've got time."

Bonnie scoffed, but her lips twitched with amusement, and she sunk comfortably into his embrace.

"See?" he said, leaning back into the couch. "Worth it, right?"

"Shut up," she muttered, and then turned up the volume on the show. "Wait. I missed the last episode…" She poked his chest. "You need to catch me up on the commercial break."

"Ow. _Rude_. Point those bony fingers somewhere else."

"They are not bony…"

Damon mimicked her, bobbing his head side to side mockingly.

Body and show forgotten, they quickly devolved into their usual bickering. As far as 'normal' went, their lives were anything but. All things considered, at least they had one another.


	18. domestic bliss

**word count**: 1,801  
**summary**: Stefan's surprise visit to the boarding house offers him a chance to see Bonnie and Damon in their natural, domestic habitat.

* * *

_**domestic bliss**_

* * *

Stefan wasn't sure what to expect when he returned home to Mystic Falls after spending the last year and change living in Dallas, but a small part of him was surprised the boarding house was still standing. Duffel bag hanging at his hip, he pushed the front door open and walked inside.

"Hello…? _Damon_…?"

The house looked much the same as it always had. Maybe a little brighter, with the curtains thrown open in the parlour and better lamps in the hallway. Some of the furniture even looked to be updated.

Stefan had talked to his brother periodically over the last year, checking in to see how he was doing, how the town was holding up, if he'd managed not to cause irreparable damage to anyone or anything. For the most part, things sounded good, but Damon had a way of pretending he had no part in something he probably started. Mystic Falls had always been a beacon for the strange and dangerous, and Damon had shared more than a few stories of something going wrong. But, from what Stefan could tell, it wasn't anything his brother couldn't handle.

"In the kitchen," Damon called out.

Making his way down the hall, Stefan caught the scent of frying bacon wafting in the air, intermixed with the rich smell of coffee. He stepped through the doors to find Damon at the stove, flipping pancakes. A bowl of blueberries and sliced strawberries were in reach, alongside a tall can of whipped cream.

"Hey, brother. You want one? I made extra."

"No, thanks, I'm fine." Stefan eyed the set-up dubiously. "Do you have a guest I should be aware of or…?"

"Bonnie's catching a shower before work." He wiped his hand on the towel hanging over his shoulder and then grabbed a blueberry to pop in his mouth. "What life threatening problem brought you back here? I thought you were playing Dysfunctional Family Matters with Barbie and the twins from The Shining?"

Stefan rolled his eyes. "Got homesick, thought I'd come and see if it was still standing."

Damon offered a sharp grin. "Thought I burned it down, huh? I'll have you know, this place has sentimental value to me… _Sometimes_… Usually when I'm drunk."

"I'm sure it does. You know, maybe I just missed you. It's not that often that we go this long without something life-altering to drag us back together."

"Ahh." Damon stacked a couple pancakes onto a plate and picked out a few strips of bacon to lay next to it. The table was dressed with a jug of orange juice, butter, syrup, coffee mugs and cutlery. Damon carried the plate over, along with the fruit. "You'll be happy to know that Mystic Falls has somehow managed to survive without your hero hair. I might have to take a consensus on _how_. It could take a few days. I'm sure I could air out your old bedroom for you if you want."

Stefan nodded, hiding an amused smile. "That's big of you."

"I aim to please." He stood by the table, pouring out two mugs of coffee. "Sure you don't want any?"

He shook his head. "No, but thanks. You said Bonnie was headed to work?"

"She opened up her own shop. She's on a spiritual, mother earth, witch kick, so she's been playing around with herbal remedies and stuff. Turns out there's a niche market around here." He shrugged, gaze down as he made a smile with the blueberries and two strawberry eyes atop the pancakes. He glanced up as he shook the whipped cream can, before adding a pair of fangs to the smile. "Doors open in an hour, so she can't sit around and fill you in on all of my antics like you're probably hoping."

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind meeting me for lunch to talk details."

Damon snorted.

The door swung open and Bonnie stepped in, still doing up the clasp on her necklace, her head bent forward a little. "Stefan, hey!" She smiled at him warmly as she crossed the room. Giving Damon her back, she said, "Help?"

Taking over, he swiped her hair over one shoulder so he could do her necklace up for her.

To Stefan, she said, "When did you get here? We weren't expecting you." She paused and looked up. "Were we?"

"Nope. Surprise visit. _There_." Damon's hands fell atop her shoulders, squeezed, and then redirected her to the chair in front of the plate of pancakes. "Eat."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, but picked up the knife and butter. "How long are you staying?"

Stefan leaned his hip against the kitchen counter. "Just for the weekend. The girls are starting kindergarten next week, so I want to be back in time for that."

"Kindergarten, _wow_." Her brows hiked. "Time really flies…"

"Yeah. Caroline's already planning ahead. Which reminds me, she said to ask you guys what your plans are for Christmas. She was hoping either we could come here or you could come out to Dallas…?"

"No can do. We're heading to Tahiti. Sun, sand, no snow or ugly sweaters to be found. Just crystal clear water and Bon-Bon in a grass skirt."

She scoffed. "I'm not wearing a grass skirt."

"Coconut bra then."

She shook her head at him before turning back to Stefan. "I'm sure we can figure something out. We haven't bought the tickets yet; we've just been spit-balling ideas. We could go to Tahiti for New Years instead."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Damon turned off the stove and carried his own plate of pancakes and bacon to the table. "Who said I wanted to spend my Christmas with The Brady Bunch?"

"Don't be a dick. They're family." Bonnie reached over and stole another piece of bacon off his plate. Brows raised, she turned to Stefan. "Would it be easier here? We have a lot of space. And the parlor would be great for Christmas. We could hang stockings on the fireplace, put a big tree up in front of the window…"

Stefan smiled slowly. "That sounds wonderful. I'm sure Caroline's missed home, too."

Bonnie nodded. "I get why she stays away. Bad memories. And the town hasn't exactly been the safest place…"

"It's getting better," Damon defended, reaching over to steal a syrupy strawberry off her plate. "Vampire on human violence is down like… ninety-eight percent."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow. "What are the stats on vampire on vampire violence?"

"_High_. It would be lower if they would take the hint and stop coming here."

"Maybe if you left someone _alive_ to pass that message along, they _would_."

"Oh, here we go again. You know, you're the only former vampire hunting witch that has a bleeding heart for vampires."

"Not _all _of them. I just think if we looked at this as a long-term issue and planned for it better, we wouldn't keep running into this problem…"

"I'm not the only one out there with a stake. Detective Buffy is a little trigger happy, if you ask me."

"I _didn't _ask you, and besides, you and Matt are supposed to be hunting together. It's not just a safety precaution, it's to add a little balance. So there's a voice of reason to step in."

"Who _exactly _do think this voice is supposed to be coming from?" He pointed his fork at her. "And we _are _hunting together. Until he does something stupid and then I need to take a break. I can't be expected to spend that much time with Donovan. I have _limits_, Bonnie."

Dropping his bag to the floor, unseen, Stefan served himself some pancakes and pulled a seat up to the table, pouring himself a glass of orange juice as he enjoyed their back and forth.

"You're being ridiculous." She rolled her eyes. "And stop pretending you hate Matt. You've saved his life more times than I can count."

"Because it's easier to save him than to go through the trouble of throwing a funeral and convincing the locals it was an accident."

"Oh, please. You guys get drinks after you patrol. You had a stake gun specialty made for him for his birthday."

"Because his old one was falling apart and I was afraid he was going to accidentally off me in the middle of the woods. I'm not dying because of operator error!"

"Fine, Damon." She sighed. "You and Matt aren't friends. Are you happy?"

"Yes."

"I'm sure he'll be heartbroken when you don't bring him back a souvenir from Tahiti." Standing from the table with her empty plate, she walked into the kitchen to drop it in the sink, finishing off her coffee as she went.

"I could pick him up _something_… Maybe one of those little dancing luau girls. He can stick it on the dashboard of his police car."

"Uh-huh." Bonnie stopped next to his chair and bent down. She pressed a kiss to his lips and wiped a syrup smudge from the corner of his mouth with her thumb. "I've gotta go to work." Hand still on his shoulder, she squeezed, and he covered it with his own. To Stefan, she added, "We should go out for dinner, celebrate having you in town."

"That'd be great. I might stop by your store today too, see it for myself."

"Sure, I'd like that. Damon usually stops in for lunch; he can show you the way."

Damon brought her hand up and kissed her knuckles. "You need anything?"

"No, I'm good."

"Take a jacket. It might rain today."

She smiled down at him. "I will." As she walked by, she patted Stefan's shoulder and then left through the door.

Stefan listened to her exiting footsteps until she was outside, and then turned a look on his brother.

Fork raised to his mouth, he frowned. "What?"

"You just conveniently forget to mention that you and Bonnie are together?" Stefan shook his head slowly. "How long has that been going on?"

Damon shrugged. "A while."

Stefan considered it for a moment, and then hummed. "Good for you."

Damon opened his mouth, as if to argue or, no doubt, throw some snarky comment back. But then he paused, and finally said, "Thanks."

A beat passed before Stefan added, "So how do you feel about a family Christmas card? Because Caroline's pretty sold on it, and…"

Damon groaned.

But Stefan was pretty sure that his brother was strangely okay with the whole thing. He had a good life going for him; he had a wonderful girlfriend; and slowly but surely, bridges were being built between the two brothers. It would take time and a little more effort, but as far as Stefan was concerned, his family was being rebuilt, brick by brick, and it was good to see that, for Damon, his life was following a similar path down domestic bliss.

[**end**]

* * *

**notes**:_ happy domestic!au bamon day, y'all! _

_please, if you can, try to leave a review!_

**\- Lee | Fina**


	19. i can't lose (you)

**prompt**: things you said through your teeth**  
word count**: 632

* * *

_**i can't lose (you)**_

* * *

"Bonnie… Get. Behind. Me."

A werewolf. That was all Bonnie could think, it was on repeat going through her head. They were feet away from a salivating, blood-thirsty werewolf, and she could do _nothing_.

"_Bonnie_," Damon whisper-shouted.

"No."

"Have you lost your mind? You're human now! That thing will tear you apart!"

"And you're a vampire. If it bites you–"

"I'll take my chances. Now get _over _here!"

Bonnie shook her head. "I can lead it away…"

A low, growling noise suddenly filled the area and two more joined the first; a werewolf on either side of them and in front of them.

Bonnie felt Damon's hand curl around her hip and _pull_. She stumbled back a step, and the wolves lunged.

Bonnie froze; her breath caught and her eyes widened. And then everything was a blur.

Damon yanked her into him and took off, racing through the trees and leaping over logs. She could still hear them; their panting and paws pounding the ground in pursuit. Her heart hammered in her chest and climbed up her throat.

Chest to chest, Bonnie had her arms around Damon's neck and her legs around his waist. she tried to to see the wolves behind them, to see how close they were, but everything was moving too fast. And then, they were flying. Or it felt like that anyway. Really, they were falling. In true Damon fashion, rather than try to out-run or out-fight an opponent, he decided to just _jump off a cliff_.

And now they were on their way down…

He hit the ground hard, and they rolled together in a heap. Arms around her, he tried to take the brunt of the fall, but she still felt dirt and gravel scrape her skin. When they finally came to a stop, she was sprawled out on top of him, panting. She could feel blood and torn skin, but, thankfully, no broken bones. Still, she was going to be sore tomorrow.

High above, the werewolves let out a disappointed howl.

Relieved, Bonnie slumped against him and let out a shaky, hysterical laugh. "That was close."

"_Close?_" He gripped her shoulders. "You offered to lead them away!"

She looked up at him and winced. "I was just trying to do the right thing. If they bit you–"

"No! You listen to me, if we are _ever _in a situation like that again, you run your pretty little ass in the opposite damn direction and leave me for dog chum. You don't play hero!"

Shoving at his chest, Bonnie sat up. "_Excuse _you?"

He stared up at her, wide-eyed and insistent. "Bonnie… You aren't a witch anymore! You can't fight these things like you used to. You can't–"

"I can do whatever the hell I want, and you get _no say _in that. Human, witch, _whatever_, I still make my own choices. And if I want to run head first into changer then I _will!" _

Damon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Hands still clutching her shoulders, he held her steady as he sat up.

Bonnie waited, her chin tilted high and stubborn, ready to go head to head with him to prove him wrong.

And then he hugged her. Cradling her head against his shoulder, he wrapped his arms around her tight. Burying his fingers in her hair, he kneaded at her neck. "Sixty years," he bit out. "That's all I've got with you. The last thing I want to do is bury you any earlier because you want to save _me_."

Bonnie sighed. Her hands reached up and coiled around shoulders. "You don't get it.."

"Try me."

She pressed her face against his neck. "I can't lose you either."

Damon didn't answer; he just held on a little tighter.


	20. come home

**prompt**: things you said over the phone**  
word count**: 508

* * *

_**come home**_

* * *

"Where _are_ you?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Close. I think I'm making good time…"

"What time did you leave Dallas?"

"Later than I meant to. Caroline wanted to have breakfast, which kind of turned into brunch, and saying goodbye to the girls was a little harder than I expected. They're cute."

"Don't tell me your biological clock is ringing, Bon. We're gonna need a little time to figure that one out…"

She snorted. "Shut up. Anyway, I'm almost home. Like… an _hour_, tops."

"An hour!? What if I made dinner? I feel like an ignored house wife here, Bonnie. You leave me here, all alone, for a _week_…"

"If I remember correctly, I invited you to come with. It's not like you wouldn't have anybody to hang out with. Maybe having you around could break some of the weird tension between Stefan and Alaric. They're polite, but it's still weird."

"We can't all just take a week off. Somebody has to keep the town from imploding. And I can't trust Ranger Donovan to do that all on his lonesome."

"Uh-huh." She shook her head. "Anyway, I'll be home soon. You can tell me all about your busy week when I get there."

"Fine. But I wasn't kidding about dinner. I made something, and now it's gonna get cold."

"Is it pancakes…?"

"You'd be lucky if it was, but no. No pancakes. I put real effort into this. There's a garnish and everything." She heard a smacking noise and imagined he was kissing the ends of his fingers in a 'voila' gesture. "But now you're late and it's getting cold and I might just have to eat it all by myself…"

"We have a microwave."

"That's _blasphemy_! I made this with my blood, sweat, and tears… Kind of. I added blood to mine, but yours, you'll be glad to know, is blood free."

"A miracle," she teased.

"I'm not feeling too appreciated here, Bon. I made food. I did laundry. I saved the town a couple times… Where's the love?"

"You must've _really_ missed me…"

"I don't remember saying that. I remember saying I was a hero, which you've continued to ignore."

"Just say it. Tell me you missed me and you love me and you can't wait for me to come home…"

"The house was very quiet; Donovan sucks at Monopoly; and my bed has been lonely…"

"_Damon_…"

"All right, fine. I missed you. Happy? I missed you and an hour seems like a_really _long time. How slow have you been driving, Grandma?"

Bonnie laughed. "Not as slow as you think." She climbed out of the car and made her way inside the boarding house to see Damon standing at the end of the hall, a dish towel over his shoulder and his phone still raised in one hand. He smirked at her.

Bonnie grinned back. "Honey, I'm home…"

Damon was in front of her in a blink, his arms wrapping low around her waist.

She tipped her head back to look at him. "So..? What's for dinner?"


	21. a tiny taste of normal

**chapter rating**: pg-13**  
word count**: 462

* * *

_**a tiny taste of normal**_

* * *

"Remind me again, _why _are we doing this?" Damon wiggled around, kicking at the end of his sleeping bag. "We have a house with beds and heat and–" He slapped at his cheek. "No mosquitoes!"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "It's for the experience. We never do normal things. We're always hunting down the latest bad guy and just trying to survive the week."

"So, we rent a nice cabin with a fireplace and and a bear skin rug. We don't sleep on the _ground_."

"Stop _whining_. Look, we're here until Sunday. Maybe if you'd put up the tent like I asked…"

"Right because a thin layer of nylon between me and the ground would _definitely _make this better."

"We had an air mattress, but _somebody _didn't bring the air pump!"

"I'm hearing is a lot of _blame _here, Bonnie. But we wouldn't be out here at _all _if it wasn't for you."

"All I wanted was for us to have a nice, _normal _experience. You didn't complain when we're having s'mores or skinny dipping in the lake."

"Yes, and now I'm in a sleeping bag, _alone_, cold and getting eaten _alive_."

"If I knew you were going to complain this much, I would've invited Caroline instead. She wouldn't have forgotten anything!"

"Yeah, but everything you did would be according to her camping itinerary. You need me around for spontaneity!"

"Spontaneously go to sleep then."

He sighed, long and loud, and Bonnie glared up at the star littered sky. This was not how this was supposed to go, at all. But there was no changing it, at least not tonight. Maybe she'd cut their trip short and head home tomorrow. But there was no way she was getting out of this sleeping bag.

Five full minutes passed before he whispered, "_Bonnie?"_

She ignored him.

_"Booonnieee…_"

A rustling noise followed and then– _bump_.

Damon rolled himself over until he was pressed right up against her, bundled up to his shoulders in sleeping bag. He stared at the side of her face, and then shuffled even closer and rubbed his nose against her cheek. "I _suck_. I'll set the tent up in the morning and if I have to blow up the air mattress with my own two lungs, I will."

She bit her lip to keep from smiling. "You _do_ suck. I wanted this to be fun."

"And it is, mostly. I was a big fan of the skinny-dipping part…"

She rolled her eyes. "_Uh-huh_."

"Forgive me?"

"Maybe."

He grinned. "What are the chances we can zip these sleeping bags together…?

Bonnie laughed and turned to. "Fifty-fifty."

"Yeah?" He ducked his head down and pressed a kiss to her neck. "What can I do to increase my odds?"

She smiled. "You'll figure something out…"


	22. ready? ready

**chapter rating**: pg-13 (swearing)**  
word count**: 446  
**prompt**: things you said while we were driving

* * *

_**ready? ready.**_

* * *

"This is all your _fault!"_

Damon cut his eyes from the road to Bonnie and then back. "Hey! It was your witchy ju-ju that made this happen! I had no say in this Renesmee shit! Nobody said when you got your powers back you'd be magically _fertile…_"

"Don't _call _her that!" Hands on her rounded stomach, Bonnie tried to breathe through clenched teeth. "And this baby didn't happen all on its own. It's half _yours_, Damon!" She reached over to sock him in the shoulder. "The half that's currently causing me incredible _pain!_"

"Okay, Bonnie, it's all my fault. Are you happy? My magical dick made you pregnant! Kick my ass later, okay? Just let me get you to the hospital so we can get this baby out and you can stop talking about hemorrhoids and eating pickle and peanut butter crackers at three in the morning. I can't sleep on all those crumbs."

"Don't judge me. You ate them, too!"

"You _made _me!"

"You said they were good!"

He turned to her, eyes dramatically wide. "I _lied!_"

Bonnie started crying.

"Shit. Okay, I'm sorry. They weren't that bad. I'll make you some when we get home…" He ran a soothing a hand over her head and rubbed her shoulder.

"I… never… w-wanted… _this_…" she sobbed between heaving breaths. "I just wanted to h-have seeex…"

Damon snorted a laugh.

"It's not funny." She sniffled. "Everybody gets to h-have sex and noth-nothing happens. But I have sex _one _time–"

"It was more like three. And that's not including the morning…"

"–and here I am. _Pregnant_. With my best friend's boyfriend's child. I should be on a supernatural Jerry Springer!"

"Okay, calm down… Technically, _I'm _your best friend. Which, when you think about it, not the worst person to be the father of your kid. And I think I'm doing a pretty good job so far. I painted the nursery. I got Stefan to put together the crib. I put a lock on the liquor cabinet." He ticked off each with a finger. "I personally went to get that hemorrhoid cream for you, Bon. That's gotta be worth at least a _few _points. I mean, think about my reputation here…"

Glaring at him, she snarled, "As soon as this baby is delivered, I'm going to set you on fire with my _mind_."

"That's the spirit." He grinned at her as he pulled the car over in front of the Emergency doors of the hospital. "Ready?"

Bonnie shook her head.

"It's okay. I'll be there the whole time."

Sniffling, she looked at him with teary eyes. "Promise?"

"Promise."

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "Okay. I'm ready."


	23. daddy damon

**chapter rating**: pg**  
word count**: 529  
**prompt**: things you said when you thought i was asleep

* * *

_**daddy damon**_

* * *

Bonnie wasn't quite asleep. She was beyond exhausted, but some part of her was still alert, waiting for even the quietest of cries. They'd been home with Neela three days now and Bonnie was walking a tight rope when it came to her emotions.

Damon had been good about it, better than she expected. They still bickered, that was kind of their thing, but when it came to Neela, he was on top of things. As scared as she'd been about being a mom, he was right, there was no one better to have a baby with than her best friend.

Sprawled out in bed, she had an arm thrown over her face in anticipation of the early morning light coming through the window. Neela had been fussy to put down and Bonnie was just waiting for the next cry session. Apparently, so was Damon.

He was out of bed and across the room before Neela had fully woken up, just making tiny whimpering noises.

"Hey... It's okay... Daddy's got you..." He shushed her gently. "We wanna let mom sleep a while longer. It's early. Way too early for Bon-Bon to be up... I haven't even made pancakes yet..."

She heard the rattle of the curtains being closed and the room darkened a little more. "There we go. It's just you and me for a little while. How's that sound, huh?"

Neela made a sad noise and Damon chuckled.

"Yeah, I know. Dad's not as cool. But mom's had a hard nine months carrying you around. If you ask her, she'll say it's cause you've got your dad's big head, but she's biased... Your head is _perfect_. I can say that, because I didn't have to squeeze you out of anywhere..."

Bonnie bit her lip as a smile tugged at her mouth.

"I guess I'm biased too, though... If I have any say, you're gonna be the least screwed up Salvatore there ever was. Your mom thinks I'll spoil you. She's not wrong. I'm gonna get you the best of everything. But I'm also going to do the one thing my dad never could, all right? I'm gonna love you..."

Bonnie felt her heart squeeze in her chest.

"I'm not the best guy there ever was. There's gonna be a lot of times you're probably gonna wish your dad was someone else. But you're stuck with me. It's you, me, and Bon-Bon from here on out. And I'm gonna do everything I can to be a good father to you. Starting... by showing you how to make a good pancake. We can do that one-handed, right? We're gonna find out..."

Bonnie listened to his quiet footsteps as he left. Alone a quiet room, she dropped her arm to the side and shook her head. Damon wasn't always a good person, she knew that, but he'd come a long way. And now he was going to be a dad, a _great_ dad. Turning over onto her side, she hugged her pillow and let out a long, happy sigh. She wasn't looking forward to pancakes, but she trusted her daughter was in good hands, and she _really _needed a good sleep.


	24. this isn't you

**chapter rating**: pg-13 (violence, gore, character death)  
**set**: post season 7 finale, when damon's influenced by the armory's monster**  
word count**: 1,237

* * *

**_this isn't you_**

* * *

Blood covered every available surface. He was practically swimming in it. It layered every inch of his skin, gore and blood dripping from his fingertips. A part of him reveled in it, reminding him that he was the superior predator and this was how it should be. Humans were simply a means to an end. Playthings when he was bored and a food source when he was hungry.

Damon sat in a chair, bourbon in hand, glass cloudy and smudged with bloody fingerprints. "Don't tell me you've come to talk me off the ledge..." He smirked as he looked up, teeth on display as he watched Bonnie try to make her way into the room without stepping bodies or tripping over dislodged organs. "We both know you don't have the power needed to take me down. Little Bonnie Bennett, witch no more."

"I don't need my powers to do that." She stared at him searchingly. "This isn't you."

He laughed, and leaned back in his seat, slumping down comfortably. "I beg to differ, Bon-Bon. This is _exactly _who I am. You remember, don't you? Back in the beginning, when I was your _worst _nightmare. We had a nice hate/hate repartee going back then... I miss it a little bit."

"Things were different then. You didn't have your humanity on and you were a _dick_."

He waved a hand to encompass the many bodies, with their slit throats, littering the floor. "Data says I'm _still_ a dick."

"You have your moments."

She kept her eyes on him and decidedly nowhere near the rest of the carnage. "The Damon I know is beyond this. Whatever happened in the vault, whatever you saw or whoever did this, we can _fight _it... Together."

He hummed, and took a deep pull from his bourbon, holding up a finger to ask her to wait. When he was done, he smacked his lips. "I'm curious, did Enzo fall for this? Your little heart-to-heart, dig down into your soul, see that you aren't really a monster, _bullshit_..."

Bonnie tilted her chin up and closed her eyes for a moment.

"_No_... He didn't, did he? I wondered where he got to, but now I know..." He wagged a finger at her as he grinned. "Did you kill him yourself, Bon...? Huh? Did you put a stake through his heart like you tried to do to me just a few short months ago...? Did he beg and cry? Did he tell you he _loved _you so you'd reconsider?"

When she looked at him, tears fell from angry, tired eyes. "Yes."

He felt a pull at his chest, but he ignored it.

"All of the above. Is that you want to hear? I did everything I could to pull him back from the edge but it wasn't enough. He tried to kill Caroline, the girls, even Stefan... Matt was the last straw. He's human. I... I've known him my whole life... So I killed him and I-" Her breath hitched on a sob. "I'll never forgive myself for that."

"Don't beat yourself up too hard, he was a waste of breath. You could do better. In fact..." He pushed up from his chair and tossed his bourbon aside, letting it crash on the floor. In a flash, he was circling her, coming to a stop at her back, his nose nuzzling her ear. "We could have so much _fun_ you and me... All you have to do is let a little darkness in. I know you have it in you, Bonnie. I've seen that dark side come out. Little by little, just waiting for a someone to light the wick. Well, here I am." He reached up and tucked her hair back from her face, leaving smears of blood on her neck and her shoulder. "Come play with me, Little Bird. I promise I'll make it worth your while."

Bonnie closed her eyes, her mouth trembling. "I need you to fight this... I need you to be here. I spent three years hating and missing you and I finally got you back. I _need _my best friend, Damon. Because I killed someone I was supposed to love and I won't do it again."

His heart lurched, but he shook his head.

"That sounds like a lot less fun than my proposal... You know what they say, if you can't join 'em... _Kill them._"

Bonnie whirled to face him; she stared up at him with hard, angry eyes. "Do you remember what you said in the letter you wrote me?" She stabbed a finger at his chest and he stumbled back a step. "You left because you were a coward. Because you were afraid of being the reason that I died. Because staying with me meant increasing my chances of getting killed by some rogue supernatural enemy. But you came back! It took some pressure from Stefan and a whole lot of self-pity, but you came _back_. You saved me when everything went sideways, even when I wanted _nothing _to do with you. You wouldn't even let me forgive you because it sounded too much like goodbye! And now you're the one holding the proverbial stake to my heart. So if that's what it _takes_, if that's what you need to break yourself out of if this. Then do it. Go ahead, Damon. Tear my heart out, rip my head off, drink every last drop of blood I have in me... And when you come out of this, when you wake up and realize what you did, remember this... This is _not _who you are."

He glared down at her from black and bloody eyes, and he reached out to cradle her head in his palms. He pulled her in close, and felt her heartbeat stutter under his thumbs. "Are you scared, Bon-Bon?" He dragged his nose up the length of hers. "Does it feel like it did in those early days, when I was the enemy and you were just a convenient little magical fix-it?"

"Is this your villain speech? Because it needs some work."

He laughed, all teeth, and then he buried his face against her neck. He nuzzled the crook and took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of her. He let an incisor skim along her skin and licked a bead of blood that formed. "Of everyone I've ever eaten, you tasted the best..."

"Something to remember me by."

"Oh, you'll be hard to forget..." Damon sunk his teeth in hard against her neck, and heard her cry out, a whimper of sharp pain.

Bonnie grabbed onto his shoulders, her tiny fingers digging in. Pulling and pushing in equal measure, she choked out, "I... _forgive_... you..."

Blood poured down his chin and dribbled down her shirt. He could her heart slow, feel her body grow limp, and together, they sunk down to the floor, where he held her in his lap.

Heart thumping and squeezing in his chest until it felt like it was cracking open, Damon reared his head back. Panting, he cast wide eyes all around him, at the blood and carnage that layered the room, and finally, down to the limp and silent Bonnie that laid in his lap, not breathing, with tears drying on her cheeks.

"No. No, no, no..." He gathered her up, hugging her to his chest, running bloody hand over her hair. "_Bonnie!_"

* * *

**tbc**


	25. i'm not you

**chapter rating**: pg-13**  
word count**: 1,315

* * *

**_i'm not you_**

* * *

"Bonnie… Bonnie, _please_…" Damon pushed her hair back from her face, but all it did was smear blood across her skin. "This isn't…" His eyes moved over the room, tearful and confused. "This isn't how it ends… We get sixty years… _Bonnie_… That was the _deal!_"

Damon buried his face against her neck, blood squelching between them, and started to rock them back and forth. "I can fix it, I can…"He nodded. "I'll fix this."

But the darkness still called. A whisper in the back of his mind, a creature that grew from the shadows to stalk its prey. It slithered up to his back and laid a hand atop his shoulder, clawed fingers biting down through fabric to pierce his skin. "_Leave her_… _Let her go… Add her to the pile and find another…_"

It sounded like Elena. If he turned, he knew it would look like her, too. Like a siren calling to a tired sailor, 'come down into the depths and die at the bottom of the sea while I laugh at your misfortune.' But it wasn't Elena. She was safely tucked away in a satin lined box, asleep. Or maybe not. Maybe she was awake now. Now that Bonnie…

He pressed a shaking hand down against her heart, willing it to beat. It remained still and quiet. He let out a shuddering breath and closed his eyes.

"_It's okay, Damon. You have me…_" The fingers sunk a little deeper into his shoulder. "_I'll never leave you, I promise. Just you and me and an endless sea of blood… Don't you want that? Don't you want me? Don't you _love _me? All you have to do is let go… Let her go and be with me. Let go off all your fear and and let me in… Let me show you a better world, where we can be _exactly _who we really are!_"

Damon opened his eyes and lifted his head. "That's not who I am… Maybe before, but I'm different now. I… _I _decide who I am." Through greeted teeth, he snarled, "And I'm not you_."_

_"Silly boy…_" It wasn't Elena now. The voice was different, lower, sinister and cold. "_You think I can't see into your soul? You think I don't know what darkness lays there? Even now, grieving for your little witch, you're overwhelmed with it… All you want to do is kill. Destroy. _**_HURT_**_. Dig your teeth into something soft and tear it open. What would she think of you, hm? What would little Bonnie think of big, bad, Damon." _

"She'd believe in me." He swallowed tightly. "She'd have hope."

He pushed up from the floor then, cradling Bonnie in his arms, and turned to face it, the monster that had crawled into his mind and let loose the worst of him. Skeletal with overlong limbs, limp hair the same color as its swampy green skin, and yellow eyes.

"Find a new puppet. No vacancy here."

It bared its teeth and hissed, but crawled backwards, all jutting elbows and knees, to become one with the shadows, disappearing from sight.

Damon breathed a stuttering sigh of relief, swallowed down the pain building in his throat, and turned wet eyes down to Bonnie. "What? No grand revival? If there's a time to pull a come back, now is it…"

Silence answered him.

His face twisted with anger. "Who the hell let you sacrifice yourself anyway? _Huh?_Whose big idea was it to send you in without reinforcements? What kind of bullshit plan was that?" He shook his head, brow furrowed, and then his rage left him. His shoulders slumped and his face fell. "Damn it, Bonnie… I'm so sorry…"

"For the record… It was _my _plan. I can only do so much when half the brain trust is on a murderous rampage."

Damon blinked, and looked up. Standing in the doorway of the room was… _Bonnie._When he looked down, the body he was cradling fizzled away to nothing. "What…?"

"I caught up to you in Albuquerque. A little vervain and you were down for the count. This is happening in your head… Not the monster thing. That was… Well, let's just say she lives in your psyche and the only way for you to really get her out was to rebel and throw her out. And you did. You're officially monster-free… Not that we don't have a monster to track down still. But I figure you can take a few days off to rest."

Damon stared at her, whole and breathing and so very alive. "Wake me up."

She frowned. "Are you sure? You could probably use the sleep after a mental showdown like that."

"Wake. Me. _Up_."

With a sigh, she nodded, and then everything went dark. Damon sat up abruptly, sucking in air and looking around wildly to find himself in a musty hotel room. Bonnie stood across the room, arms crossed loosely over her chest, watching him warily.

He shoved off the bed and walked toward her, crossing the room in three short strides to grip her shoulders. Head tipped back, she stared up at him. And then Damon was hugging her, wrapping her up in his arms and lifting her right off the floor.

Bonnie went limp with relief and hugged him back, one hand buried in his hair. She laughed, a little hysterical, and buried her face against his neck. "You're okay… I've got you. I've always got you."

He choked on a strangled noise and pressed his face down against her hair, hand stroking down her neck and across her shoulders. "Don't ever… _ever_ do that again?"

"What? Break into your thoughts and save you from a monster? _You're welcome_…"

"No…" He leaned back so he could catch her eyes and said, very earnestly, "_Die_."

"Damon…" She shook her head. "And leave you here all by yourself? Who would save your destructive ass?"

He smiled, faintly, but then pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'd be a lot more destructive without you around, trust me."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

She hummed.

He blinked and leaned back to catch her eyes. "Question, though… How'd you get in my head? Last I checked, you were as human as they come…."

Bonnie grinned then. "I'm a Bennett. My magic was still there, it was just… _dormant_. And when someone I love is in danger… It wakes up."

He smirked then, and let out a warm, happy laugh.

Bonnie joined him.

It was a few minutes before he asked, "So, does this mean Enzo is still alive?"

"As far as I know. You two split up and I had to make a choice on who to go after…"

He stared down at her searchingly. "So you chose me?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Shut up."

Damon ignored her; his chest puffed up in pride. "No way. I'm going to ride this high for the next decade."

"When you're done _gloating_, I need your help. We need to find Enzo and we need to take this monster down, once and for all."

"Sure. Why not? Just a thought though, we could skip Enzo, go straight for the big bad. If he's an unexpected casualty, well, that's the price you pay for heroism. We'll remember him fondly. Or semi-fondly… He will be remembered by someone."

"_Damon_…"

"There's that judgy voice I missed."

"Uh-huh." She raised an eyebrow.

"Fine." He frowned. "But only because I killed you in my head and I still feel guilty about it."

"Great." She released him and started for the door. Looking back, she tipped her head. "Coming?"

Damon turned to face her. They weren't headed home this time, not just yet, but soon. After one more rodeo. He smiled. "With you? Anywhere."

Bonnie grinned and walked backwards out the door. "Great. I'm driving."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…" He hurried after her. "I've gotta draw the line somewhere… Bonnie…? _Bonnie!_"

[**end**]


	26. most in the world

**rating**: teen  
**word count**: 770

* * *

**_most in the world_**

* * *

This wasn't how he was expecting things to go when he got Elena back. For one thing, he was expecting 60+ years, not 6. He was also expecting to have to bury his best friend, which, not an issue. Bonnie's still alive and kicking and witchier than ever. More than that, though, he was expecting that he and Elena would be off riding the high of being together, straight into some cliched sunset.

That's not what happens…

What happens is that they fight. A lot. Almost constantly. About stupid things. Human things. About her feeling useless or coddled or ignored. About how she thinks he doesn't feel as invested as he used to. How he _resents _her for being human. How he doesn't talk to her like he used to. Or hold her the same. Or _love _her.

And that's the big part of it.

"Just _admit _it," she yells. "Just tell me the _truth_."

"What truth? What do you want me to say? Huh? It's been six years, Elena. Things change. Relationships have bumps."

"This isn't a _bump_. This…" She throws her hands up. "This is a dead _end_."

And it should hurt, it should feel like a stake to the heart, but… it _doesn't_. It just makes him frustrated. Makes him want to raid the cupboard for the nearest bottle of whatever's strongest. And he hates hates _hates _that Stefan was right. That his little trip down Human Lane so long ago is coming true. That Elena is unhappy and he's unhappy and that his life is nothing like what he wanted it to be. Not anymore. Because he cares about Elena, he does, but not like he did. Not like it was before the prison world, before Kai, before–

"Can we just stop? _Please_."

He looks up to see Elena has deflated. She leans against the island counter, rubbing her fingers over her temple, and everything about her is slumped and defeated.

"Stop what?" His feet sheet, anxious and antsy. He wants out. He wants to leave the house and this fight and _everything_. Ever since they moved out of Mystic Falls and tried to set up a life elsewhere, it's all been wrong. Elena is back in school, trying to become a doctor, and he's… Adrift. He doesn't have anything or anyone. The only familiarity he has is her and every day he feels the wedge between them grow bigger.

"This. _Us_." Elena shakes her head. "You're not happy."

He scoffs and turns his eyes away. But he doesn't argue.

"You haven't been happy since we left. You call Stefan every other day."

"So? He's my brother. I can't call my own brother now? Is that a crime?"

"And Bonnie?"

Damon sighs, long and loud. "Are we bringing this up again?"

She stands taller then, firm and serious. "Until I get a straight answer, yes."

"What do you want to hear, Elena? Bonnie's my best friend. I _miss _her."

She sighs. "I don't know why I keep expecting you to be honest with me when you can't even be honest with yourself…"

He mouth screws up irritably. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Damon… You call her every night. I hear you."

His brows hike. "You're eavesdropping on my phone calls now?"

"Am I supposed to feel bad about that?" She tips her head, eyes narrowed. "You're sneaking out of our room at night to call another woman."

"A _friend_."

She frowns, her brow furrowed. "I knew you were close. I knew, even before you did, that you cared about her in a way you didn't even understand. But I never thought…" Her breath catches. "My best _friend_. You couldn't pick anyone else?"

He shakes his head. "You've lost me…"

"God, you are so _oblivious_," she accuses.

Damon scowls. "Then _enlighten _me."

Slapping a hand down on the counter, she tells him, "You love her."

He frowns. "So? She's my friend, of course I–"

"You're _in love _with her."

Damon blinks. "What?"

"Damon… Just _stop_. Stop trying to fight it or make excuses or explain it to me. Whatever happened when I was gone, whatever changed, I get it. Okay? I– I don't _blame _you. Do I wish it was different? _Yes_. I wish you were human, that we could _do _this. But you aren't and we _can't_."

"Elena–"

"Listen to me…" She stares at him. "Every night, you wait for me to fall asleep and you go downstairs and you talk to Bonnie for _hours_. Some days, I can't even get you to _look _at me. You are wasting away out here, trying to convince yourself this is what you want, and it's not working. Because what you want isn't here, it isn't _me_. And I wish I could hate you for it, I _want _to hate you for it, but… I get it."

He stares at her, frowning uncertainly. "I don't understand."

"Ever since I turned back, since I woke up, I've felt different. Not just about you, but about me. About what I want. And… I want something different. The life I had in Mystic Falls, I'll never forget it, but it's not who I am anymore. It's not what I want for my future. Life is short. For me, anyway. And I don't want to spend it feeling like I'm who you're stuck with." She bites her lip and walks toward him, reaching out to press her hand to his chest. "I will always love you. And I know that a part of you will always love me. But we… We're not working. And the thing is, she's only got so much time, too. So, instead of us pretending that this is something either of us wants, we need to just… _let go_."

"You're breaking up with me because I call my best friend on a regular basis?"

"_Damon_… She's not just your best friend." Elena shakes her head. "I… I think she's the person you love _most _in this world."

He stares at her a heavy beat, and then he looks away. "So, that's it? That's how we end?"

"It's not a blaze of glory, but it's something, right?" She half-smiles. "As far as mad, crazy, consuming love goes, I think we take the cake. But… maybe there's something better out there, for both of us. Something that builds us up instead of eats us whole."

He nods, slow and thoughtful. "I, uh… I can send someone to pick up my things."

"Okay." She wraps her arms around herself. "You'll drive back tonight?"

He shrugs, tucks his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "A head start can't hurt."

Her mouth ticks up faintly. "Tell Bonnie I say 'hi.'"

He gazes at her. "I didn't… mean to. I didn't _know_."

"I know." She reaches up still and dashes away a tear before it can fall. "But now you do, so… What're you gonna do about it?"

His brow furrows, and then he nods. He smiles, brief and a little sad, before he leans forward, drops a farewell kiss to her forehead, and then he's gone. A cool breeze brushing past.

She hears the distant rumble of his car starting up and bites her lip as her eyes fill. It's for the best. She knows that. Doesn't mean it hurts any less.

* * *

Three hours of driving well past the limit later, Damon parks his car in front of a familiar house. He dials her number as he climbs out, and watches as a light flickers on in the bedroom above.

"Hey," she answers, a little thick with sleep. "You're late."

He grins. "Actually, I think I'm right on time."

She scoffs. "Usually you call around eleven. Midnight tops. It's almost two."

"Yeah, well, I got lost. But… I think I figured it out."

"Okay…" she drawls, confused. "Figured what out?"

"Me… _Us_."

There's a pause, and then, "Us?"

He crosses her lawn to stand on her porch. "How do you feel about pancakes at, say, two in the morning?"

He can hear a rustling noise, and watches as the light turns on above the stairs leading to the main floor. He can hear her footsteps as she comes closer, and the increase of her heartbeat. "Damon… Where are you?"

The front door swings open a moment later and he grins at her, staring up at him, wide-eyed. He drops his phone and tells her, "Home."


	27. hindsight

**rating**: pg  
**prompt**: things you said too quietly

* * *

_**hindsight**_

* * *

"You can't just reappear in my life and expect things to go back the way they were. They can't." Bonnie's eyes are bloodshot and red-rimmed, but she keeps blinking back her tears before they can fall. "You left. You made that choice, not me."

"And I told you it was a bad choice. I didn't mean for it to go like this."

"How would you know?" Bonnie laughs, incredulously. "You were asleep, Damon. Did you think things would just magically fix themselves? Huh?"

"I thought if I wasn't a part of the equation, you'd be okay. You all would."

"How? Why?" She scoffs. "Did you think you were that unimportant? Was this just a cry for attention or something? You needed us to prove to you how much you mattered? And if we did, you'd stay? Well you do! You matter, okay? Maybe if you'd been here, maybe if you'd stuck around, we could've fixed things. We could've fought Reyna or the Armory or whoever. But you didn't stay. You ran. And you can make all the excuses you want, but none of it matters. Because when I needed you the most, you chose to leave me behind."

"I was doing it to protect you," he snaps.

"How'd that work out?" She tips her head and stares up at him. "Because if Stefan didn't wake you up, a week from now, you'd be burying me and back with your precious Elena. So, tell me again how three years of you not being here protected me at all."

Damon sighs. "Bonnie, listen…"

"No." She glares. "No, there is no making it right." She turns on her heel to march away.

Damon stares after her, his shoulders slumping. Left alone, he admits, "I'd take it back if I could."


	28. are you happy?

**rating**: pg-13  
**prompt**: things you didn't say at all

* * *

_**are you happy?**_

* * *

"For the record, you are exasperating."

"I think the word you're looking for is 'charming.'"

"Trust me, 'charming' isn't even close."

Damon grinned down at her, gaze skittering over her face. "You know, I missed this." He waved a finger between them. "Bonnie and Damon, bestiesagain. Saving lives, killing baddies. As far as reunion tours go, I think we knocked ours out of the park."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. She'd been back in Mystic Falls for a year now, but Damon always looked just a little surprised when she joined him on nightly patrols of the town. Just because the heretics were gone didn't mean the town had miraculously become safe. It was still a hotbed for the supernatural and, for some bizarre reason, she felt a sort of duty to protect it. As it turned out, so did Damon. "Don't get too comfortable. Just as soon as Enzo gets back–"

"Ugh." He flapped his hand in a 'talking' motion. "Enzo, Enzo, Enzo. I'm so tired of hearing about that…" At her withering look, he amused, "guy. I never should've let him come back here. Now I can't get rid of him."

Unamused, she pursed her lips at him. "In case you forgot, he kind of saved my life, like, a lot. You know, back when you didn't."

"Okay, a) he also put your life in danger with the whole hunter's blood thing. And b)… You forgave me for that. Forgiveness means you stop throwing it in my face. I mean, I did technically save your life."

"You also complicated it, Damon." She sighed. "Which is nothing new, actually."

He smiled, not particularly sorry. "All right, fine, let's curb this conversation for a later date. Hopefully one with unlimited bourbon." He pressed his hands together and tipped his fingers toward her. "Before Enzo drags his annoying British ass back here, we should go out. Come on…" He swung his hips side to side and wiggled his eyebrows. "We can get a little dancing in, get a lot drunk…"

Bonnie bit her lip, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I don't know… It's been a long week. I was going to head home, relax."

"Relax later. Tonight we need to have some fun. We're saved Mystic Falls for the six thousandth time, it's our turn to let loose a little." He circled around her. "Don't you want to dance, Bon-Bon? Huh…? I might even show you some of my best moves."

She smiled, slowly, and shook her head. "You're such a dork."

He smirked. "Is that a yes? It sounds like a yes…"

"Yes. Fine. But no compelling anyone for free alcohol. You pay your bill this time."

"Spoilsport." Still, he grinned. "All right, get your butt home, shower, put on something sparkly, and meet me at the Grill."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh. Don't start without me," she said as she walked to the door.

"No promises," he called back cheerfully.

* * *

"I was going to make us go home early," Bonnie sighed, slumped against the bar a little. Casting her gaze around curiously, she wondered, "Is anyone even here anymore?"

"Bar tender split an hour ago. I promised to lock up." He stood to lean over the bar and grab up an expensive bottle of bourbon, topping off each of their glasses.

Bonnie made a discouraging noise. "I shouldn't… Some of us get hangovers."

Damon grinned, and knocked back a could half off his bourbon. "That's 'tomorrow' talk. Tonight, it's all about the fun."

"What fun?" She raised a skeptical eyebrow. "We're drinking alone in a bar, saluting all the hard work nobody knows we did."

"Way to be a party-pooper, Bon-Bon." He sighed, and pushed off his stool. "All right, come on…"

"Where are you going?"

"To have fun, and you're coming with." Grabbing up her hand, he gave it a tug.

Bonnie hopped off her stool and let him tow her away from the bar. "Should I bring my jacket? Are we leaving or…?"

"Nope." Damon stopped at the jukebox and dug out some change from his jeans pocket.

Bonnie blew out a sigh. "We are not dancing."

"Not yet we aren't." He grinned as her perused the set list and picked out something he liked. "Aha!" He put in his selection and then turned to her. Taking her hand up, he gave her a twirl, and Bonnie bit her lip to hide a smile.

"Not too fast, I'll get dizzy."

Damon pulled her in, their chests knocking together, and slung his arm low around her back. "Better?"

She hummed, and then her brow furrowed as she caught on to what song he'd picked. "Aerosmith?"

"It was this or Bon Jovi, and I don't know about you, but I like to leave that for Stefan…"

"Aerosmith's not bad." She smiled slowly. "I'm trying to imagine you in the 70′s with the big hair."

"Nope, nice try, but I never got into fads. No big hair for Damon."

"Shame." She slid her arms up around his neck, wrapping one hand around her opposite wrist. "I'd kill for some photographic evidence of you with a mullet or something."

He laughed lowly, a rumble from his chest. "Only in your dreams, Bennett."

They moved around the floor in concentric circles, swaying and humming. Damon stared down at her, a little drowsy and buzzed, her eyes half-closed. Somehow, she managed not to step on his feet, but it was close. As the song came to a close, she rested her head against his chest, and let him lead. 'Crazy' came on next, and Damon leaned down to rest his chin atop her head, letting his own eyes fall closed.

* * *

"You missed the turn off."

Damon looked over at her in the passenger seat. "Did I forget to mention I'm stealing you away for a sleepover?"

"You're just worried I drank too much." She smiled slowly. "You're a sap, Damon Salvatore."

"Ooh, full name and everything. You must be buzzed. And I'm not worried, I'm lazy, and I don't feel like going out of my way to drop you off at your place when I can just bring you back to mine. I'm sure I can find a couch for you to pass out on."

She snorted. "Let me guess, you're too lazy to put clean sheets on one of the spare beds, too."

He winked. "Got it in one."

"Mmhmm…" Bonnie turned her face forward and closed her eyes as she gave a long, sleepy sigh. "You're not fooling anyone."

Damon looked back over at her, and watched as shadows played over her face. He could tell she was halfway asleep just from the sound of her heartbeat. She'd be out like a light by the time they got back to the boarding house and wouldn't so much as whine when he tucked her into his own bed to sleep it off. He mentally double-checked his medicine cabinet; Bonnie had started keeping a few of her 'human' things, like Tylenol and tampons and Band-Aids, of all things. As if he couldn't heal her a hell of a lot easier than some sticky little bacteria factory.

* * *

"I can walk. I'm not that drunk."

"Wasn't a matter of drunk, I thought you were asleep."

"I was, and now I'm not." Bonnie made her way to the front door of the house, but paused just short of it.

"What's wrong? You forget how to open one of these?" he teased.

Tipping her head back, she turned her face up to the sky and sighed. "Were the stars always this bright?"

"Okay, Drunky…" Damon hooked an arm around her waist. "C'mon…"

Bonnie kept her eyes on the sky for as long as she could, but soon enough they were inside. Apparently electing not to struggle with her compromised sense of direction, he hooked an arm under her legs, lifted her, and carried her right up the stairs in the blink of an eye. Bonnie's stomach lurched as they came to a stop in his bedroom, more from momentum than anything.

"What happened to that cozy couch you mentioned?" She raised an eyebrow as he lowered her to her feet.

"Changed my mind. You can stay in here."

"You really are worried." She shook her head. "I didn't have that much to drink. I'm buzzed, but I'm not 'throw-up in my own hair' drunk."

"Is that the scale we're working off of?"

She smiled knowingly. "Damon, seriously, I'm fine. I can take one of the spare rooms or–"

"Bon," he interrupted. "Humor me. Okay?"

She stared at him a long moment, in all his strangely serious glory. "Okay." She smoothed her hands down her hips. "Got a shirt I can borrow?"

"My bed, my clothes, you know, you're seriously pushing the boundaries of our friendship here."

Smiling slowly, she raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I'm really putting you out. It's not like you have six of the same black t-shirt lying around here somewhere."

"I resent the implication that I've ever bought in bulk," he muttered, but walked to his dresser to dig around for something for her to wear.

Bonnie snorted, and turned on her heel. She bee-lined it for the television to root around for what she knew would be tucked around somewhere nearby and– aha! The Bodyguard.

"No. No way. We are not watching that again!" Damon crossed to her, plucking the BluRay case from her fingers and handing her a black t-shirt in trade. "Once a month, remember? That's the rule."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "I can watch whatever I want to fall asleep. You don't have to stick around if you don't want to." She reached for the movie case, but he held it out of reach. "Besides, you fell asleep last time."

"It was three in the morning," he defended. "Not to mention, we spent four days hunting down some weird swamp monster. It took a lot out of me."

"Okay, grandpa."

"Hey!" He wagged a finger at her. "Rude."

She shook her head and bit back a smile. "You know you want to watch it. You memorized every word."

"Unwillingly. You watch something enough and it gets stuck in your brain. Like a leech. It's taking up important space in there that could be put to better use."

"Uh-huh."

He stared at her a moment, eyes narrowed, and then relented. "Fine. But only because you kicked some serious ass tonight and I'm proud. I like to think it's a little of my influence rubbing off on you."

"I'm pretty sure your influence is what got me drunk tonight, so don't pat yourself on the back too hard."

He grinned. "Who's complaining? You needed a night out. You've been moping."

"I have not."

His gaze skittered across her face. "You wanna talk about it?"

Bonnie paused. "It's nothing."

"Uh-uh. It's something." He tossed the movie aside and reached for her, fingers cupped under her elbows. "What's going on in that witchy head of yours, hm?"

Bonnie bit the inside of her cheek for a moment. "It's just…"

He nodded encouragingly.

"Enzo," she said. "He's been gone a while and sometimes it feels like he's doing it on purpose. Like he's pulling away."

Damon hesitated, and she could read in his face the moment he decided whether he should be snarky or serious. "Enzo's been on his own most of his life. Takes a while to change old habits. He'll come back and you two can play Buffy and Angel to your heart's content."

She hummed, but let her eyes fall to his chest.

"Is that it?"

She chewed her lip.

"_Booon_…"

"I like Enzo. I care about him. And… I loved him. I still do. It's just… I don't know it's different. It has been for a while. Since…"

"The adrenaline wore off and you weren't fighting for your life every second of every day?"

She looked up at him, surprised. "Yeah."

Damon nodded. "Trust me, if anyone knows what it's like to get tangled up in feelings at the worst possible time, it's me… Near-death experiences make for good last-ditch efforts in love. But they don't always last."

She frowned, her brow furrowed. "So, that's it? Just chalk it up to adrenaline and cut him loose?"

He shrugged. "That's up to you. You want an Enzo-sized ball and chain or you wanna take some time, figure out what Bon-Bon wants?"

"Sounds easy when you say it like that. But… We had something. Something real, or halfway real, I don't know… He really was there when I needed him."

"So are dogs, but you don't let them share your bed."

With a snort, she rolled her eyes. "Damon…"

"What do you want me to say? Huh? Do I think Enzo's good enough for you? No. But I don't think anyone's good enough for you. For some strange reason though, you do. So, you want me to tell you it'll get better, to stick with it, I will. You want me to tell you to walk away, you can do better, okay." He shook his head. "It's simple… Does he make you happy? That it's, that the only thing that matters."

She stared up at him. "He doesn't make me unhappy."

"That wasn't the question." Damon reached up and brushed her hair from her cheek. His knuckles brushed against her neck, and he smiled at her faintly. "Are you happy?"

Bonnie's breath caught in her throat.

Damon was standing close enough that she could smell his cologne. If she wanted to, she could count his eyelashes. They'd had moments like this before, more than she could count. He would reach for her and lay out some sincere part of himself, beg for her forgiveness or understanding or something. It was the 'something' she always tripped over. Because it lingered, it went unsaid, it made promises he couldn't keep.

Bonnie loved Damon. Before Enzo. Before a lot of people. There were days that she could see herself burning the world to ash to save his life. And others when she wanted to set him on fire for being an ass. It wasn't healthy, not really. Not when it went unsaid or unexplored; a timebomb waiting to explode in her face and wipe out mass casualties on the way. She thought she'd let herself loose from him before, when the sheer disappointment and betrayal of having him dessicate and leave her behind had left her feeling abandoned in a way she'd stupidly never thought he would do to her.

She'd thought, in loving Enzo, she'd buried that love she'd once had for Damon. The part of her that had held on to some quietly burning hope that he could see her, could love her, like she did him. But those thoughts and hopes crashed and burned, reminded of the ever hovering ghost of her best friend and his true love. Maybe Enzo wasn't the love of her life. Maybe he was just a stepping stone in her life and she'd find someone else, someday. And maybe Damon wouldn't like him either, but that was okay, because he was Damon. Her best friend. And that was all he'd ever be.

"No," she whispered. "Not as much as I want to be."

Not as much as I think I could be… with you – but she didn't say that. She wouldn't say that. Because this– they weren't there yet. And maybe they never would be. But he was back. He was home. And they had a chance to start over. To get it right this time. Whatever that meant.

He nodded slowly. "Okay." He swallowed and licked his lips, and then took a step back. "Why, uh, why don't you change? We'll throw The Bodyguard on and save the 'how to dump a vampire' talk for tomorrow."

Bonnie hummed agreeably and turned her head, blinking quickly, as if to pull herself back into the moment and out of that fuzzy feeling she'd had when they'd been inches apart and wading through the unsaid.

"Get it ready?" she asked. "I'll change in the bathroom."

"Yeah, sure. You want any snacks? Popcorn, a nice warm bag of O-positive…?"

She rolled her eyes. "Funny. No. Just some water."

"As you wish," he said, as he walked to the door.

Bonnie paused at the bathroom, looking back at him briefly. "Hey, Damon…"

"Yeah?"

She stared at him searchingly. "Thanks, for tonight. You were right, I needed it."

He grinned and winked at her. "I'm sensing the beginning of a tradition here, Bon. A little drinking and dancing, some Costner and Whitney, what more could you want?"

Bonnie smiled softly. "Not much."


	29. christmas traditions

**rating**: pg+  
**word count**: 1,278  
**prompt**: (one or more of) domestic!bamon, christmas/holiday traditions, bamon in the snow

* * *

**note**:_ Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to nemily, whom I received in the **Bamon Secret Santa**! Here's a little piece of domestic!Bamon with a dash of holiday traditions and a tiny nod to snow fun. I hope you like it. :)_

* * *

**_christmas traditions_**

* * *

It was five o'clock on Christmas morning when Damon woke up to the familiar creaking of the bedroom door. A part of him was amused —they were nothing if not early— while another part of him was _exhausted_.

If someone had told him ten years ago that he would one day be a domesticated dad with two kids and a wife, he would have laughed his ass off, and then probably torn a vein or two. But that was then. Damon had come a long way from the man he once was, and one of the upsides of that was a happy family.

The kids hadn't gone to bed until well after eleven, but comfortably before midnight (lest Old Saint Nick past the house by). After they were tucked away, Damon spent a good chunk of the evening wrapping presents and handing the credit off to a jolly hack that hadn't spent one dime on the abundance of wrapped joy packed beneath the tree downstairs. Between that, taking a few bites out of cookies and a few more out of some carrots (for the reindeer), and a little drunken dancing, he'd hardly had a few hours of sleep.

"You wake them up."

"I did it last year. You do it!"

"I'm bigger."

"_So?_"

"They won't get mad at you. You've still got the cute factor."

"What's that make you?"

"_Smart_."

Damon smirked and tipped his head to get a better look at his two, bickering kids. Jordyn was dressed in her reddest Christmas pajamas and had her stuffed-to-the-brim stocking tucked under her arm. Her hair was a little lopsided from sleep, springy brown curls mussed and frizzy. Next to her, Austin was chewing his lip, his brow furrowed thoughtfully. He had his mother's eyes, which meant Damon was basically incapable of saying 'no' to him. Not that Austin gave him many opportunities, if he had to name a 'troublemaker' of the two, it'd be his daughter.

Jordyn gave her younger brother a shove in the shoulder. "Do it already. Sooner they wake up, the sooner we can open _presents_."

Austin's eyes lit up, and he looked from his sister to his parents' bed. He took two steps forward and then stopped. "But daddy said not to wake them up 'til at _least _six…"

Exasperated, Jordyn rolled her eyes. "He _always _says that. Just hurry up!"

"I don't know…"

Taking a deep breath, Jordyn let it out on a long sigh. Then she reached into her stocking, pulling out a single candy, and threw it at the bed. It bounced off the headboard and landed right on Bonnie's face.

Austin gasped, and even Jordyn covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide.

Bonnie, who had seemingly been fast asleep, raised a single hand, plucked the wrapped candy from her cheek, and then gave it a little shake.

"Austin did it!" Jordyn cried defensively.

"What? No, I didn't! It was Jordyn!"

"You snitch!"

"You snitched first, butthead!"

"_Mom, _did you hear that? Austin's calling me names!"

"Only 'cause you lied!"

"I did _not_! I—"

Bonnie sat up abruptly. "_Enough_."

Both children went quiet and stared at her, pasting on their most pathetic of faces.

Damon snorted.

Their gaze swung in his direction hopefully. A lesser man would've regretted that he'd somehow become the 'nice' parent. The push-over. The obvious choice when it came to punishment. Damon rather reveled in it. For most of his life, he was the bad guy, according to his kids, he was anything but.

Damon sat up, resting his back against the pillows pushed up to the headboard. "Isn't it a little early for you guys to be up?"

Jordyn's eyes darted toward the clock sitting on his bedside table. "It's not _that _early…"

"I thought we said six," Bonnie said, rubbing a hand over her face.

"It's _almost _six…"

"It's hardly _five_."

Jordyn shrugged. "Last year we got up at four, so at least we're _closer_ this time…"

Bonnie raised an eyebrow, but Damon could see the smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. "_Mm-hmm_."

"Please, please, please, can you get up?" Austin asked, clasping his hands together and everything. "Santa came! There's a whole bunch of presents under the tree. Some for you too, I think."

"Really? I always figured I was a permanent fixture on the naughty list," Damon muttered.

Bonnie shook her head at him before turning back to the kids. "You guys know the rules. Stockings, then breakfast, _then _gifts."

"Aw, man…" Austin's shoulders slumped.

Jordyn nudged him. "They're getting up, dork. _And _we get to open our stockings." She pulled hers out rather triumphantly.

Excited, Austin bounced in place, and then pivoted on his heel and raced out of the room.

Damon could hear his little feet skittering along the floor as he ran downstairs.

"Why don't you join him? Your mom and I will be down in a couple minutes," Damon suggested, nodding his chin from Jordyn toward the door.

She looked between them suspiciously. "All right, but if you're not down in ten minutes, I'm coming back…" She backed up toward the door, "And next time, I'm bringing snowballs and _no _mercy!"

As she ran off down the hall, Bonnie slumped back into bed and tugged the covers up over her face. "Wake me up when coffee's ready."

"Nope." Damon ducked under the sheet and slid over to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and tugging her toward him.

Bonnie laughed as he laid atop her, their legs tangled, and his chin perched on top of hers. "What're you doing?"

He wiggled his eyebrows. "What's it feel like I'm doing?"

"Mmm… distracting me." She ran her fingers through his hair and down his neck, but drew them back to press against her mouth as she yawned. "This is your fault," she said.

"I take full responsibility for any and all precocious children we have."

She laughed. "_No_… Well, that, too. But I meant why I'm tired."

He smirked. "Did I keep you up too late? Is age catching up to you already, Bennett?"

"Not age, just a very needy husband."

"_So _needy." He lifted his head and kissed her, tugging at her bottom lip with his teeth. "Just the _neediest_."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "I meant the dancing, Casanova. You kept me on my feet until 2 am."

He hummed, and kissed her again. "And you loved every second of it."

She stared at him a beat, her eyes soft. "I did." Her legs wound around his waist and squeezed. "We don't have much time… Those stockings will only hold them over so long before they'll come back asking questions. And since _you _have a 'no gifts until after pancakes' rule, they'll be looking for your super special vampcakes any second now."

"Which I will _gladly _make… Right after a shower."

"A shower, huh?"

"Yup. And I think, to save water, we should _share_."

Amused, she lifted an eyebrow. "Do you."

"I do." He shucked the sheet off then and sat up, taking her hands to pull her up with him. "And _then_… I will make you the _best _vampcakes you've ever had."

Bonnie scrunched up her nose. "I feel like I've heard that before."

"It's hard to improve on perfection, but the attemptis what matters."

"Uh-huh."

"So…" He climbed off the bed and plucked her up off it too, carrying her bridal-style toward their en suite. "Shower, soapy reasons I should _definitely _be on the naughty list, vampcakes, and then presents… How's that sound?"

"Depends." She kicked a foot up. "What'd you get me for Christmas?"

Damon grinned. "Have a little faith, Bon-Bon. I always get it right in the end."


	30. renegotiations

**rating**: pg+  
**word count**: 614  
**prompt**: "I just wanna be friends... Plus, a little extra... Also, I love you."

* * *

_**renegotiations**_

Bonnie's brows hiked as she raised the menu and noticed a complete lack of prices listed by each option. "Damon..."

"Hm?" He glanced up at her from across the small, intimate table they were seated at. He tapped a finger against his chin; his ring caught the light of a candle sitting center on their table.

Bonnie cast an uneasy look around the restaurant, filled with antique furniture and expensive art, all of which screamed '_expensive_.' "When you said we were getting dinner, I thought we'd stop by the Grill. Maybe pick-up takeout from that Thai restaurant that just opened. Not... whatever this is."

"_This _is the best new Italian restaurant around."

"If by 'around' you mean 'three towns over.'" She shook her head, and laid her menu down. "What's going on?"

"What? I can't take my bestie out for dinner?"

She tipped her head, a brow raised. "This is a little bit more than just dinner."

"Is it?" He cast his gaze back to the menu. "Hadn't noticed."

"You made a reservation," she reminded him. "And half this menu is in Italian."

"We can all use a little more culture in our lives, Bon-Bon."

She opened her mouth to argue, but the waitress came by then, asking for drink orders. Damon ordered a bottle of wine that Bonnie couldn't pronounce, but given the surprise on the waitress's face, could only guess the price of.

When Damon grinned back at her, Bonnie crossed her arms.

He sighed. "What?"

"You said this wasn't a date."

He shrugged. "It's not."

"So, you bring all your friends here? _Seriously_?"

"It _just _opened. But yes, in a few weeks, sure, I'll bring Ric by. We can have a drink at the bar, share a plate of spaghetti, maybe meet in the middle, see if anything sparks. Who knows?"

"I'm serious."

"So am I. Ric would love this place. I can see their whiskey selection from here. He'd probably weep."

"After Enzo, after all of that just blew up in my face, we agreed... Our friendship is too important, and I don't want to lose you."

"Right. I know." He sat back in his chair and nodded. "Hey, I just wanna be friends."

She nodded.

"Plus, a little extra." He held two fingers a part. "Like a tiny bit."

She sighed, exasperated.

"Also, I love you."

"_Damon_."

"What?" He pointed at her. "You love me too, you said so! No take-backs."

"Of course I love you, you're my _best _friend. But we agreed-"

"I agreed to take it slow, let you get used to life, post-Enzo. Plus, there's the added benefit of me not being just a rebound for you. Then, when you're ready, we see where things could go. Call it a renegotiation..."

She pressed her lips together and sighed. "What if it doesn't work out?"

"Then we go back to being just friends." He shrugged. "Look, I'm not saying it's going to be easy. But, not trying would be a hell of a lot harder." He stared at her searchingly. "If you're not over Enzo, or you need more time, then say the word. We'll take the wine to go and eat Taco Bell in a parking lot somewhere. But if you're over him and you think maybe we can be something... Then let's stay. Let's do this."

Bonnie took a deep, steadying breath. She uncrossed her arms and sat forward in her seat, chewing on her lip uncertainly.

The waitress returned with a bottle of wine and placed two glasses in front of each of them.

And Bonnie nodded. "So, what do you think you'll get?" she asked him. "I'm partial to pasta..."

Damon grinned.

* * *

_thanks for reading. if you can, please drop a review on ffnet or ao3._

_also, just a reminder that i do have a** ko-fi account**, which can be found on the sidebag of my Tumblr (**sarcasticfina**). ;) _


	31. forward

**word count**: 822

* * *

_**forward**_

* * *

It was always coming to this. She knew it. He knew it. Anyone who ever met them knew it.

"You're leaving."

Damon's luggage is by the door. He's not taking much with him, but it's enough to say that he'll be putting Mystic Falls behind him for a while. Maybe even permanently.

He looks up, watches her walk down the hall, her arms crossed loosely over her stomach. "Figured it was time. Stefan's pretty much over the whole 'killed a small village' thing and Caroline's getting pretty good at playing the supportive wife. Think newlywed central might need some Damon-free time."

She stares at him searchingly. "How long is that supposed to last?"

He frowns and drops his gaze to the floor. "It's too much, Bon. Too many memories, too many mistakes… In a few years, they'll move on, too. And they should. We all should. Because whatever mojo this place has, it isn't good. Once it gets inside you, it's like an infection. I'm tired of letting it twist me up."

She nods slowly. "So, that's it? You're just gonna run away again?"

"I prefer to think of it as a slow ride toward freedom… Might hit up a few sandy beaches, set down roots somewhere with a few less ley lines criss-crossing all over town."

"And, what, just send a post card every once in a while? _Dear Bonnie, living the good life. Wish you were here. –Damon._"

"Not exactly."

She scoffs, and turns her eyes up. "Right. That might take too much time out of your _busy _schedule."

He stares at her, his mouth turning up faintly. "I have a villa in Italy. Not as big as this place. Probably needs some work, since I haven't been there in a couple decades. But, I figure it'll keep me busy. For a while, at least."

She meets his heavy gaze. "Stefan know where it is?"

"I'm sure he can find it if he tries. Doubt he will, though. Marital bliss and all that."

Licking her lips, Bonnie takes a deep breath. "You said you wouldn't run again. I know this isn't some dreary casket, hidden away in a truck somewhere, but… This feels a lot like running."

He nods. "Small difference this time."

She raises an eyebrow.

"I bought a plane ticket. _Two _plane tickets, actually. I don't know if you've ever wanted to see Italy, but… It's got some perks. One being that you don't have to stick around here playing Willow to my Buffy."

She snorts. "As if you're Buffy. If anything, I'm a Buffy-Willow hybrid."

He rolls his eyes. "We'll talk semantics later. You didn't answer my question."

"You didn't _ask _a question." She tips her head and stares at him. "Well…?"

He purses his lips and narrows his eyes at her, but he's amused more than anything. She never does anything _simply_. "Bonnie… will you take a free trip to Italy with me?"

She hums. "Say it like you mean it."

Letting out a long-suffering sigh, Damon smothers a smile. "_Please_, come with me…" His face softens then. "I don't know what I'd do without you and… I don't want to find out."

Letting her arms fall to her side, she nods. "Okay."

"Yeah?"

She walks toward him, pressing her lips together to hide a grin. "I don't want to know what you'd do without me either…" Her nose scrunches up as she adds, "And I don't like post cards."

"It's a good thing I'll never have to send you one."

"Yeah, because you're never getting rid of me." Walking past him to the door, she looked back at him over her shoulder. "Ready?"

Damon nods. "Ready."

He grabs up his bag and steps out the door, ready to see what life has to offer him this time. He's leaving Mystic Falls knowing that he won't be back for a long time, but, it's okay. The blood and death and chaos of before is behind him, and his future is ahead.

"I'm driving," Bonnie says, circling around the car.

Shaking his head, he tosses her the keys. "Only because I like you."

Damon climbs into the passenger seat and tosses his bag in the back. Bonnie pulls her seatbelt on as she absently tells him they need to stop by her place and grab a few things before they go. She'll call Caroline from the road, she decides. Maybe it's so Caroline won't talk her out of it, or maybe it's because she's eager to get moving. He isn't sure and he doesn't ask. All that matters is they're going forward._ Together_.

* * *

**NOTE**: _where's enzo, you ask? who knows? who cares? rhetorical question. i don't care. therefore, i always forget to add him, or make plausible excuses for his whereabouts. he does not exist in my canon._ ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


End file.
